Renee Hassan said KFAAA trainer Riley Cull trained with Leaf for two sessions a week, and did an amazing job.
"Through the training she (Leaf) has really come into her own," she said.
"She is a gorgeous dog anyway, but she's learned her skills and learned to listen and read my kids. That's been huge."
When fully trained, a PPD can facilitate social interactions, provide emotional and physical support and a calming presence, and assist in developing independent living skills.
Unlike a guide dog programme, there had been no "chopping and changing" of handlers and locations, KFAAA founder Merenia Donne said.
"The bonus of that is the dog doesn't have any upheavals in its life.
"It is there with the family it already has, with a bond that we believe is superior to those dogs raised in a guide dog model.
"They (guide dogs) never really get the chance to have that deep and treasured connection right from the outset. You can't play catch up with that."
Leaf's assessment was carried out by Dogs New Zealand (DNZ) representative, Arend van den Bos, who flew from Christchurch especially for the test.
The Pawtism programme was adapted from research carried out by the University of Lincoln in the UK that examined factors associated with the positive effects of dog ownership in families with children with autism.
The dogs themselves were selected and trained to directly benefit the entire family, not just the individual with autism, Donne said.
"Even with all the input we can give them and all the assessments in the world, it still takes an exceptional dog to qualify.
"Over the 12 months we worked with Leaf the transformation has been incredible."
Renee Hassan said Leaf came from a long line of empathetic, intelligent animals, which put her on the front foot when it came to training.
"She was actually due to fly to Hawaii to be an emotional support animal over there, but of course lockdown happened.
"We said 'don't worry, we'll take her'. It was all very fortunate."
Leaf had "eaten her fair share of shoes", but was now fully in sync with Theo and his twin sisters Zara and Suvi (5), Renee Hassan said.
"Because she spends so much time with the kids, she's really developing the ability to read them.
"Theo is really good and holds it all together at school, but when he comes home he needs to be himself and get out a bit of pent-up energy after he's been trying so hard all day to do everything by the book.
"They play really imaginative games outside with Leaf, and she'll lie down with them at night to help them get to sleep.
"For a dog that's still relatively young, she's doing really well. She's interacting in a way that advances all our existences."
The family was visiting Whanganui from their home in Abu Dhabi (UAE) when the Covid-19 outbreak first hit the world last year, and Renee Hassan and the children have remained in the River City ever since.
Rami Hassan has returned home, and the family plans on joining him before the end of the year.
"Leaf is coming too, of course," Renee Hassan said.
"It's going to be hard to leave. We love life in Abu Dhabi, but we love life here too."
