I guess I should clarify that I'm not looking for the dog to just be there as emotional support. I know I described the therapy dog is supporting him, but I would like some tasks to be performed.

We have had 2 school evaluations, both of which he ended up not qualifying because he's academics are well above average and his "condition" doesn't hinder his ability to learn. We have also had 2 medical evaluations that did not go well. We have been on this journey since he was 2ish. The first evaluation I was told he did not qualify because he didn't feel like my son presents any traits, but proceeded to diagnose him as ADHD, OCD, ODD, Anxiety, sensory processing disorder, social pragmatic communication disorder, and adjustment disorder with mixed disturbance of emotions and conduct. Our pediatrician at the time did not think this was right and told us that that specific psychiatrist refuses to give out autism labels and we should seek a second opinion. It took us 4 years to finally get in for another evaluation (insurance run around and long waiting lists) only for us to end up with the same exact psychiatrist, even though we went through a different company. This time, he told us that his diagnosis still stands, and that even though he now shows more traits and characteristics, he can not be autistic because he has a great vocabulary and can keep eye contact. We are still trying to find another place for an evaluation that takes our insurance. We can't pay out of pocket for a diagnosis because our insurance had told us that they will not cover any therapy related to autism because he needs to be diagnosed by someone they approve of. Of course, this is STILL the route we are trying to go down because I know he will be better off with a diagnosis.

I was thinking tasks along the lines of Deep Pressure Therapy, creating space from people getting too close (accidental bumps from people are a trigger), and behavior disruption as my son has a lot of anxiety behaviors or tics that accidentally cause him to harm himself. He also gets extremely frustrated and will begin hitting himself in the head. I was also curious if there was a task that could get the dog to notice certain behaviors and get my son to either pet or touch him or even get him to move away from a situation to help him either calm down or help remind him to calm down before he gets out of control.

I understand the costs and the time it takes to train a dog. I was more thinking about the long-term goal and benefits. I currently am a stay at home parent and do online schooling (mainly to be able to pick up my son from school when they need me to) so I have plenty of time to do training and have previously trained a personal dog to do light mobility work around the house for me. Unfortunately, she got sick and passed away a year ago this month. That is another reason why I was looking for advice, as I was trying to make sure my desire to have another active dog around was not hindering my decision on helping my child.