On Saturday the 7 year old from Canby worked with a dog from " 4 Paws for Ability ," a nonprofit that trains service dogs for families all over the country. The family joins a growing number of those in Oregon working with dogs to help treat autism symptoms, according to findings from Lake Oswego-based Autism Service Dogs of America . That’s when the Cottengims found "4 Paws for Ability" in Ohio, where it trains dogs specifically to work with children. Autism-therapy dogs undergo 500 hours of training at accredited kennels, and are weeded out for temperament problems around children. With the number of autism diagnoses on the rise – from 1 in 150 children in 2006 to 1 in 110 children in the Centers for Disease Control’s most-recent study – these constant animal companions could prove to be a parent’s best friend.

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