Daisy, the autism assistance dog

Meet the talented Daisy, who works with a non-verbal autistic teenager and his family. Hear how golden retriever Daisy has transformed the lives of her human partner, Marcus, and those closest to him. Daisy provides an invaluable early warning of an impending meltdown with 100% accuracy - which has opened up public places and travel to the whole family. When Marcus does become emotionally disregulated, her training in deep pressure work means that she helps him to calm down.   Presenter Kate Fairweather meets Marcus’ mum, Hilary Armour, a skilled animal behaviourist, dog trainer, special needs schoolteacher and founder of the Alton-based charity, Dogs for Autism. Hilary personally trained her son's first assistance dog.  She explains the subtleties of family groups, where the dog is part of a team of carers. She also describes how the assistance dog partnership evolves when child and dog grow up together as part of the family. ©️ & ℗ Kate Fairweather 2021See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.