My Story

Hi! I'm Aaron. I'm 7 years-old and I have autism. I can't talk yet, but I'm close. I do have a little problem (okay a big problem) with running away. I'm stealthy, fast, sneaky and silent.

Because I have such a problem with escaping, I need help from a service dog to help prevent me from escaping. A dog that would block me when I was trying to run. This would help me and my parents a lot. See, it's hard to go to the park or beach because they spend the whole time chasing me (I have a brother and sister too). It's hard to go to friend and family get-togethers because they spend the entire time chasing me and can't visit with other people.

Check out my Diary of an Autistic Escape Artist for some of my escape stories. This would be an actual service dog so it could go to the store, school, and vacations with me. It would be my companion, and would help keep me safe.

The only roadblock is that a service dog is expensive. My parents have decided to go with an organization called Brigadoon Youth and Service Dogs. The fee for a service dog from Brigadoon is $5,000. That's where this blog comes into play. Getting a service dog is a long process. It will probably be 2009 before a dog could come home with me permanently. My dog is being trained by Denise CoStanten, the owner of Brigadoon Service Dogs.

Diary of an Autistic Escape Artist

My Escape Attempts & Successes

My first major escape took place while we were camping. I was 2 years-old. I woke up early in the morning, unzipped the tent and took off. I was so quiet no one knew I was gone until they woke up. A nice lady found me laying down playing with the lines in the middle of the road. I was lucky I wasn't run over. (By the way, the tent has never been put up since that day).

Another time when I was two I popped the screen out of my window and escaped at 10:00 in the evening. My parents saw me looking in at them from the outside and brought me back in the house.

I've escaped out the front door surrounded by adults. No one saw me.

I've escaped out the back gate that my brother and sister forgot to close all the way.

I've escaped out of my aunt's house when they thought I was watching a movie.

I've escaped at a hotel in Washington D.C.. I figured out the elevator and they found me in the ballroom on the first floor of the hotel.

I've even escaped through insulation in the new bathroom my parents were building.

These are just a few of the times I've succeeded. My parents, with a grant, got me a tracking device so that Search and Rescue can find me when I escape. I've given them the opportunity to call Search and Resuce, but a nice lady found me before they were able to get there. So if you see a naked kid running around through Stanwood, and he doesn't talk to you, it's probably me.