If Molly sees a lake, her instinct is to run into it. She would just keep going if no one stopped her. That would be an important function of the dog.

They played games with the kids, taught the kids, build relationship between police officer and community very proactive approach,

They train the dog to put its nose or a paw on the child. That would help her fit in more in public.

Autistic children have a hard time making friends. In Molly's case, her lack of speech doesn't help. We would be encouraging people to talk to her and pet her dog.

Autistic children who go missing are almost always found dead in a ditch or at a lake. They get frightened of new things. Their instinct might be to hide in a small, dark place.

The support we have received from my family has been wonderful. Going through my own struggle with Molly has made me closer with my own parents.

That combination is deadly. It means the child can jerk out of your hand without warning.

Because of that, we thought search-and-rescue would be important training. I think it's only a matter of time before Molly will try to open the backyard gate. It could be a matter of months.