Service dog calms Asperger's "meltdown"
Danielle Jacobs wants people to know, "This is what having Asperger's is like." She posted that statement on YouTube along with a video that has now gone viral, showing her service dog Samson calming her during what she describes as a meltdown.
In the video, Jacobs can be seen crying and striking herself repeatedly in the head and chest. "This is what's considered a meltdown," she writes. Samson alerts, as he was trained to do, and nuzzles with her until she calms down.
"It appears the response is late but it's actually supposed to be as I'm coming out of the meltdown as I tend to have a panic attack after," Jacobs explains.
Apserger's syndrome is considered a "milder" form of autism spectrum disorder. The group Autism Speaks explains that people with Asperger's are often intelligent and high-functioning but have problems socializing with others and may exhibit repetitive behaviors.
Some people with Asperger's experience meltdowns in response to high levels of stress or over-stimulation in the environment.
"Please no negative comments this really happened and it's not easy to open myself and share what it's like on a daily basis," Jacobs writes.