Lincoln
Lincoln is a bright, happy 6-year-old boy living with autism spectrum disorder in the Tampa Bay area with his mom, dad, and cats. He is nonverbal, but through his hard work in speech therapy can give 1-3 word commands, as well as utilize his AAC “talking tablet” to effectively communicate wants and needs. Lincoln loves trains and wheels and prefers to be at eye level while they are in motion. He also has no sense of fear or how to keep himself safe. Lincoln is also very, very fast. He is a tip-toe walker and will run full force on his toes leaving his mom in the dust (daddy was a track star and can still catch him... for now). It would be easier to list the few things that autism has not impacted in Lincoln’s life, and as a result, his days look a lot different than those of his peers. From his sleep habits, what he will eat or wear, to rituals he must perform to avoid a meltdown, it has felt like the world was not made for Lincoln. Lincoln must be homeschooled for his safety and due to his intense therapy schedule. After careful research and consideration, including meeting Topaz at a disability conference where we were able to see what a service dog could do for someone with autism, we (and his doctors, therapists, and tutors) know that a service dog will change Lincoln’s life for the better. From the ability to provide emotional stability to physically keeping him safe and alerting us or blocking him from eloping, there is no aspect of Lincoln’s disability that would not be helped by a service dog. His mother has a heart condition that causes syncope without warning and is deteriorating with increased frequency of syncope episodes. With her being Lincoln’s primary caregiver, a service dog would be an extra layer of protection when she has an episode while alone at the playground, which has happened on more than one occasion. The last, being when Lincoln got out of his stroller and started running towards the parking lot before she regained consciousness. The alleviation of our fears from these scenarios and a multitude of others, would allow more concentration and efforts to be directed towards helping Lincoln thrive and not just survive with autism. Thank you.