Many people ask me what Gryffin does. It is the most asked question I get. The most important aspect of Gryffin’s work that I want people to understand is Gryffin is trained to interact with autistic children, not just sit beside them. He knows over 50 commands that I purposefully chose because they would promote social interaction. Gryffin can enhance prosocial behavior by giving children an opportunity to say commands to him to get him to do a trick; to play hide and seek, soccer, and fetch; to allow them to pet him and give treats and water to him, and to read books and play puzzles with him. He is also trained in 10 ASD service dog tasks to keep children safe and improve their emotional regulation. Gryffin can detect anxiety and provide comfort measures, such as “hugging” the child. These comfort measures quickly calm the child’s overactive sensory system, allowing me to continue with therapy and assist children to practice calming techniques at the onset of anxiety before they are too overwhelmed to understand what I am trying to teach them. Gryffin lays at the child’s feet during the seated portion of AAT sessions to promote grounding and remind the child that he is there with him/her.
We typically start each session with free play for about 5 minutes. The child picks what activity he/she wants to do with Gryffin. Then we go to the new sensory room to work on calming strategies if the child has sensory processing differences that are affecting his/her daily interactions. We go to the clinic room for our seated work when the child is ready, and Gryffin either takes his spot under the table or sits next to the child. He is trained to not interrupt the seated portion unless he is alerting me to an increase in anxiety; however, we incorporate play therapy with Gryffin in the clinic room for preschool and early elementary aged children. Older participants either receive EMDR therapy or we review coping strategies for them to practice during the week. Sessions end with a final play time with Gryffin if time allows. Gryffin usually gets a 30-minute or more break in-between sessions. Sometimes he wants to stretch his legs outside and other times he takes a quick nap in my office. Then he is ready to go back to the clinic to see his next participant arrive.
