I remember being blown away the first time I saw a story on how a dog can impact a child with autism. Seeing how helpful a service dog can be to a child you have to wonder why this would be prohibited? The NYT has a story on a problem a family had getting approval for a service dog - Dogs and Autism.
And they provide links to organizations helping match service dogs to autistic children:
Autism Service Dogs Of America
4 Paws for Ability Assistance Dogs
