Autism Service Dog FAQ

What is a "service dog?"
An SD is trained in tasks that mitigate a person's disability. In common usage, it also implies mastery of appropriate behavior in public places.
Does a service dog need to be certified in the US?
No. The ADA does not require certification. It simply requires that the dog meet the legal definition of a trained service animal.
What is a "service dog in training?"
An SDIT is a dog with basic obedience that is actively being trained in public access behavior and disability mitigation tasks.
Is an SDIT protected under the ADA?
No. The federal law does not define service animals in training, or provide any rights to trainers or non-disabled handlers of a service animal. However, many states and municipalities have laws which confer legal status to trainers and handlers of SDITs, similar to what the ADA provides for disabled partners of trained service animals.
Is a "psychiatric service dog" considered a service animal under the ADA?
There is no such thing as a PSD defined in federal law. From an ADA standpoint, either a dog is a service animal, or it is not. Some states and organizations (e.g. bus lines) support a classification of "emotional support animals," but that's a totally separate issue.
What is an "emotional support animal?"
An ESA provides therapeutic benefit through its presence and natural behaviors. Generally speaking, an ESA has not been trained to perform mitigating tasks, and its handler is not entitled to public access under the ADA regardless of the quality of the dog's public access behavior. It is, however, worth noting that some states and municipalities have local laws which grant certain rights to handlers of emotional support animals. In addition, many public and private organizations such as bus lines, air carriers, hospitals, and schools have policies that provide access for emotional support animals, although these are typically more restrictive in scope, and are often at the discretion of the specific organization.
What is an "alert?"
An alert in an SD sense is a trained behavior that cues the *handler* to take a prescribed action. Sometimes a dog's instinctive responses can be shaped into an alert that occurs before or during an event, but in most cases training a useful follow-on task is inherently more useful. For example, having the SD automatically retrieve a set of dropped keys is more useful than alerting the handler that keys have been dropped, thereby cueing the handler to pick them up again.
What is an "access challenge?"
An access challenge is a situation where your right to enter a facility with your service animal is questioned or denied. Some types of access challenges are allowed by law, but most confrontational challenges are both illegal and discriminatory. It is important to know your rights under the law, so that you can tell which is which, and act accordingly.