only you will know if the responsibility will be too much. We all have hectic households from the ASD. Only you know how much more the huse can take, that said, many groups have said these dogs, if trained properly can have miraculous effect on our kids. Some kids go from being mute to words. Other kids who would bolt, don't anymore - due in part to the special training the dogs go thru. Easter Seals and other charities will sometimes pay to have these dogs specially trained. Good luck. It's also something I've been thinking about as well. My DS loves dogs, goes for every leash he sees. And he used to be terrified.

We just recently got a min. schnauzer puppy...my daughter loves her so much, plays with her, reads to her.
I handpicked this puppy for her temperment out of a litter.I would make sure that the puppy will put up with sudden movements , noises, and be comfortable being picked up and loved on by the child.

if your up for the extra work (assuming its going to be an inside dog) i strongly recommend a puppy, especially if your child shows that much attention to the puppy! my husband bought me a min. schauzer puppy a couple of months ago steady telling me that adam didnt like animals. she is now adams puppy, he adores her! she is a hyper little thing and he sometimes gets annoyed with her following him around, but, he also wont go out without her now. he talks to her, plays with her and drops his food on the floor for her to eat. it is interaction that he really needs. if your up for it, go for it! one more thing, labs, especially female labs, get very protective of the children in the household, a GOOD thing, i had two yrs ago that not only protected my kids, but pretty much let them torture them too, lol! you can not hardly go wrong with a lab. keep us updated, would love to hear how it goes if you get the puppy.

We spent months looking for a dog that would not end up "mentally exhausted" living with our family...LOL
Found Banjo (chow/newfoundland) mix at the shelter. He is the most wonderful,tolerant,loving dog you could wish for.Max went from loving him to terrorizing him.....:-) Banjo takes it all in his stride.
Max loves the theme tune to "Cops" and does his Reaggie dance when he sings it. Just yesterday Banjo was having a crazy 10minutes. Running around the house like a Tazmanian Devil and Maxie starts singing " Bad dog bad dog what ya gonna do what ya gonna do when they come for you" I was laughing fit to burst.
hope you find the right puppy for your family!!!
hugs

I'm telling you now, a puppy that he connects w/ will be like a guardian angel. I couldn't tell you enough how much a dog can change in an autistic person's life. It is like a silent connection that will make you astonished...it works even better than meds. Way better. I would say 'yes' and having your son participate in puppy training classes at a place like petsmart would be great. You can even get the 'wrap around' lease. Actually, you can make sure your puppy is potty trained too, get a vest from sitstay.com and have your lab start going out w/ your son to some places...petsmart for a great start because the people there love to help you train the dog as an autism assistance dog. Great work there especially w/ other dogs around, food they love, etc. I would think this would be a miracle puppy!

Luv,
Kris

PS: I had a terrible appt. and when I got home to my dog, she didn't go w/ me for that (mistake) and she calmed me down w/ in about a minute after I was having a meltdown for about 2 hours... a really bad one and panic attacks, etc. She is like the best medicine and just my angel.