‘It is like a miracle.’

Thirty-five more families will receive the life-transforming support of professionally-trained autism assistance dogs after Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland (AADI) announced the reopening of their application process.

It takes two years and costs €25,000 to train each autism assistance dog. Families will need to register their interest in applying before May 9th, 2023.

“Before we received Gandi, Aidan was on medication for years to help cope with the distress of sensory overload,” said Debbie Carr, whose family uses the vital service.

“Fast forward a year on and Aidan has a new life. It is like a miracle.”

AADI does not receive any government funding and the ability to open up applications for new families is only made possible by the generous donations and fundraising efforts of our communities of volunteers and donors across Ireland.

Families interested in applying should visit AADI’s website homepage, where they will be able to sign up to apply for the placement of assistance dogs in 2023 and early 2024.

The charity is hosting three mandatory information sessions for families interested in applying for an assistance dog, two of which will be conducted virtually to ensure that any family in Ireland who is interested can get all the information they need to apply.

“Because we expect more than 400 families to apply, it is essential that families understand the eligibility criteria for working with an assistance dog.” explained a spokesperson.

“While we would like to place dogs with any family who needs them, because of resource limitations, AADI places dogs with children and families who have a formal diagnosis of autism at the time of applying; has a child with autism between the ages of 5-12 at the time of applying; is considered a significant flight risk.”

For more information contact Fiona Murphy, Client Admin Manager, AADI, at fiona@aadi.ie or phone (021) 2357107.