Treatment for dog phobia - ASD - unpredictability

[mummyofhyperDD]

My DD was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at age 7, she is now 9. She has a phobia of dogs which developed when she was 5, last year she also developed a phobia of cats. Flies and spiders also frighten her and she can’t tolerate being in a room with them but it doesn’t restrict her activities like the dog phobia. She is unwilling/ unable to visit parks as there is a risk there will be dogs there. She has panic attacks around dogs. I’ve tried exposure therapy and she’s ok around out neighbours old dogs if they are on a lead but can’t cope with unknown dogs. I was speaking to a colleague who son is autistic and at 25 he still cope around dogs. I know my colleague will have tried to help. I’m drawing a blank at how to help my daughter - her life is becoming small as she won’t go to outside places. I’ve tried exposure to guide dogs but it’s the unpredictability of unknown dogs (and cats) that’s the problem. Has anyone had any success with a treatment for this? I’ve searched MN and the web and read books about how to treat a child’s dog phobia - nothing is helping - if anything it’s getting worse with cats now added as a fear . Can anyone relate? Any helpful experiences please?

Yes ds is terrified of dogs to the most extreme extent you can imagine. He is very limited communication wise so it's been difficult to deal with. 6 months ago we started working with a lady who is qualified to deliver the kids around dogs program. The link is below. She has worked at ds's pace slowly introducing him to dogs through activities and through the use of a toy dog that he was afraid of originally. 6 months later he is able to walk by a dog on lead, he is anxious but nowhere near the level he was. We have a lot of work to do but we are moving in the right direction. She now brings her dog weekly and ds is happy to be near him as long as he is on lead.

https://kidsarounddogs.co.uk/

Hopefully you have someone near you who can help.

Thank you did this - I did make enquiries about this program locally - I will try again

I can really relate to this. My son (also autistic) has struggled with similar phobias, though in his case it was birds and dogs. Like your daughter, he just couldn’t cope with the unpredictability. What’s helped a little over time has been working with a therapist who understands both autism and anxiety. Regular CBT sessions, combined with very gradual exposure that he controls, made it less overwhelming. It’s been a slow process and we’re not “there” yet, but his world is opening up a bit. You’re definitely not alone in this – it’s so hard watching them miss out, but progress is possible.

This sounds very tough for your daughter (and you). Phobias can be especially difficult with autism and ADHD because of the heightened sensory load and need for predictability. Standard exposure therapy doesn’t always work if it feels forced. You might want to ask for a referral to a child psychologist who specialises in both autism and anxiety – sometimes approaches like CBT, play-based desensitisation, or even animal-assisted therapy (in a very controlled setting) can make a difference. Another option is structured social stories and role play to help her prepare for situations where dogs or cats might appear. It may not take the fear away completely, but it could reduce the panic enough for her to enjoy more activities again.