Ace is being trained to be paired with a child with autism and Downs Syndrome. Ace and his child have been introduced to begin the bonding process and training. Ace’s child is mainly nonverbal but it was great to see how quickly he learned and began calling Ace’s name to get his attention. We are teaching Ace hand signals to facilitate the communication between the two of them. The child’s face lights up when he is able to complete a task with Ace and gives him a sense of pride and accomplishment. We are also working with the family on training techniques and determining various behaviors that will be helpful for Ace to learn. His biggest role will be to keep his child safe and calm. He will also be there to provide companionship, teach responsibility and empathy and instill confidence in his child. Having a reliable friend and companion also helps a child with autism with social interaction and communication. We all look forward to helping this new bond grow and offering a life changing addition to the family.