My autistic son, 9, was refused entry by a cruel cafe for having his service dog with him – I’m furious

A YOUNG boy with autism was refused entry to a coffee shop because he had his service dog with him.

Kate and Murray Kosovich were taking their son Noah, 9, to a popular coffee shop in Melbourne, Australia when they were turned at the door for Claudia, the service animal.

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The family provided a special permit explaining that Claudia had to be with Noah because of his neurological condition, but the manager said the dog wasn’t allowed in.

Kate says her son was traumatized by the incident and her day was ruined.

She told Sunrise: “Noah wasn’t happy at all. He jumped under a blanket in the car on the way home and that’s how we drove home.”

Claudia is no different than a guide dog and helps Noah overcome many of his fear triggers.

Kate previously told the Herald Sun: “She does this beautiful thing called ‘Nudge’ and just says ‘Hi, I’m here, can you pay attention to me’.

“He’ll just pat her softly and it will get him out of what’s going on in his head.”

Although being refused entry was difficult to accept, Kate says the cafe manager’s attitude made the incident worse – and was noticed by other patrons.

Kate said: “It’s hard to learn how to handle the dog and go out in public.

“So you know, just dating someone who will openly say ‘no’ is absolutely wrong.

“I would hate if that happened to anyone else. It’s not right at all.”

She says the family reached out to each other for support during the confrontation, but Kate kept thinking about how the decision might impact others who might also rely on a companion dog.

Kate said: “Imagine if this were someone with visual impairments or you know one of the guys with PTSD and he was alone or a young adult with his first aid dog walking into a coffee shop.”

Kate has attempted to speak to the cafe about the incident but has been unable to reach them on the phone.

According to Service Dogs Australia, autistic children who have a service dog “show remarkable improvement in their social, verbal and cognitive skills”.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a condition that can affect a person’s communication skills and ability to socialize.

It is an incurable, lifelong developmental disorder that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others.

It affects about one in 100 people in the UK and is three to four times more common in boys than girls.

Many people with ASD find it difficult to understand other people’s feelings and emotions, and may have trouble holding conversations.

When they are young, their language development may take longer and they may have difficulty using facial expressions, using gestures to communicate instead.

They may also have difficulty connecting with other people and maintaining eye contact with unfamiliar people.