A woman suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, is saved by her loyal service dog while she was having a ‘meltdown’ wherein she was harming herself by hitting her head and chest.
Danielle Jacobs had previously trained her dog, Samson, to respond while she is having a meltdown, something that she actually experiences on a regular basis because of her medical condition. So, when the dog saw her beating herself with her arms, it quickly moved and lovingly used its paws to stop her from hitting herself further.
While Danielle cried her heart out, the dog nuzzled her and nestled on her body when she finally sat down.
You might be wondering why Danielle was filming herself having a meltdown. Well, she actually regularly make vlogs, most of which are about her Asperger’s in a bid to educate people about the condition even at the expense of her privacy and dignity.
In the candid video of her meltdown, it is easy to see just how much Samson loves his owner. Danielle explained that though it appears that Samson’s actions were too slow and too late to stop her movements, she actually trained him to respond this way to prepare for what happens next as her episodes of self-harm are always followed by a panic attack.
The video has since gone viral, gaining over 2.1 million views within two weeks after Danielle posted it on her YouTube channel. She implored people not to make negative comments on the video yet trolls hijacked the comment section with stupid, hurtful remarks. Some people suggested that she turn off the comment section for a while but others also urged her to keep it open so as not to prevent the positive comments from coming in and overcoming the negative ones.
Despite the many troll comments, most of those who commented on the video gave encouragements and praise for Danielle’s honesty and bravery.
Check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M7PuuukzxY
Asperger’s Syndrome
An autism spectrum disorder, Asperger’s syndrome (AS) differs from other types of autism by preserving linguistic and cognitive development. According to Wikipedia, AS “is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.”
To date, the exact cause for this condition has not yet been determined; even with advances in brain imaging techniques. There is also no single treatment for AS; though there are certain medications and interventions which might be effective in addressing certain symptoms.
People with AS appear to have normal life expectancy; though it is possible they develop comorbid psychiatric conditions which might affect this otherwise excellent prognosis.