Our 7-year-old son, Seth, has autism. He regularly experienced high levels of anxiety and although he could speak, was basically non-verbal. We got Kelly from New Horizons in February 2013. In the process of learning to give commands to Kelly he has gained the confidence to talk to others. He is also gaining confidence and independence from handling the responsibilities of feeding and brushing his dog. His anxiety attacks, which would often last up to an hour, now pass in a few minutes. Seth is open to try new things that used to “freak him out.” His connection to Kelly is awesome – they are totally best friends. Getting the dog has grounded Seth and the change for our family has been amazing.
