Jiffy, an 18-month-old black Labrador retriever mix, is a professionally trained skilled autism service dog who accompanies 8-year-old Bradley Dallatore almost everywhere, including visits to his dentist and doctor.

Jiffy also regularly goes to church, restaurants and shops with the Canton boy and his family.

But Jiffy has been barred from the Trinity West Elementary School, where Bradley is a first-grader in a special education class for children with autism.

Administrators of the Trinity Area School District have said some parents objected to the dog because at least one child is allergic to dogs and some children are afraid of large dogs, said Linda Dallatore, the boy's mother.

Organizations that train service dogs and agencies that work for the rights of people with disabilities say that the Americans With Disabilities Act guarantees that trained service dogs be permitted in all public places. Multiple agencies train dogs for many purposes including guiding the blind, assisting the hearing impaired, pulling wheelchairs, alerting that a person is ready to have a seizure, and accompanying people with autism.

Mrs. Dallatore and her husband, Robert, had expected that Jiffy would ultimately go to class with their son. So, as a starting-off point, Jiffy accompanied Bradley and his mother to the school lobby in the morning.

Mrs. Dallatore then took the dog home and brought Jiffy back into the lobby at 1 p.m. when they met Bradley and took him home. This was the routine for about two weeks until April 4, when school officials said the dog could not be in the building.

Jiffy was trained by 4 Paws For Ability in Xenia, Ohio. The Washington County community, including Fairhill Manor Christian Church, raised $13,000 to pay for the training of Jiffy, who was rescued from a shelter. Since 1998 4 Paws has trained and placed 289 service dogs, 100 of them as "autism service" dogs, said executive director Karen Shirk. About 98 percent of their clients have been children.

Ms. Shirk says that despite ADA mandates, "we still have a problem with schools. About 50 percent of our dogs do not go to school."

No one from Trinity Area district has called her to discuss this matter, Ms. Shirk said.

"With some of our dogs, school districts send a representative to participate in the training process" and to ease the dog and child's transition into the schools, she said.

The Dallatores got Jiffy March 21. Mrs. Dallatore said it quickly became apparent that Jiffy was good for Bradley. She said her son and his dog have bonded and Bradley is clearly calmer and happier.

"Bradley isn't very vocal, and now he talks more," Mrs. Dallatore said. "Bradley used to have two or three 'meltdowns' as we call it, every day, and I would be bitten, kicked and pinched. Now he only has one or two meltdowns a week."

Jiffy's trainers asked the parents to video tape their son's behavior. "They duplicated every behavior in the training sessions and taught Jiffy to respond. When Bradley has a meltdown, Jiffy nudges him and nuzzles him and licks him to calm him down. He is also trained to track Bradley if he wanders away," as people with autism are prone to do.

Trinity Area Superintendent Thomas M. Turnbaugh would not comment for the story, but the district has issued a statement that was read at a school board meeting earlier this month.

"It is the District's obligation to follow the mandates of federal and state law" while guaranteeing the "safety and welfare" of all students and staff, the statement says. If an agreement cannot be worked out, there are procedures available for "mediation" through the Department of Education and other agencies, the statement says.

Cases like the Dallatores' are watched by many groups, including The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners. The group does not train dogs, but works with the people who use service dogs.

"We still have access problems in three areas: schools, hospitals and work places," said Ed Eames, president of the association, who is blind and uses a golden retriever service dog. A number of cases are being litigated or mediated in various parts of the country, and this group is closely following the progress of those cases.

Although the ADA regulations were passed in 1990, problems still crop up. Groups such as the association expect that ultimately service dogs will win in court proceedings and mediations, but during the sometimes years-long process, disabled persons do not have the full benefit of dogs that were trained to serve and assist them.