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Scientists Study How Animals Help Autism
While service dogs for autistic kids paw their way into the classroom, scientists have decided to finally study the link between kids and their pets.
Sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the study is meant to go beyond anecdotal evidence that therapy animals have a positive affect on kids, especially those with autism.
It could be an important step not only for treating kids but in providing parents with the scientific backing to get their kids’ therapy dogs admitted in places where a traditional service dog is currently allowed.
Kids like Carter Kalbfleisch, a five-year-old child with autism whose parents spent the summer jumping in the court system because their son’s school district was denying him his dog. The family won, but legal wrangling might well have been avoided if medical protocols called for the animal they say has made all the difference in their son’s life.
Beyond the benefits for families of autistic children, the study hopes to address why some children reap benefits from relationships with animals while others do not – pointing to the use of pet therapy in a variety of families.
You don’t have to have an autistic child to know that pets can enhance a child’s early development of empathy, kick in kindness skills and offer them a shoulder (or soft furry head) to cry on.
What do your kids get from their pets?
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4 Comments
nervousspeaking commented on Oct 10 09 at 1:34 amThis is great..giving them pets to develop their needs is one way of supporting them
Citizen Mom commented on Oct 11 09 at 8:25 amMy son, who is on the spectrum, loves his new fish, but I would be wary of getting him anything that requires more responsibility. Stories like this give me pause. I imagine desperate parents buying pets for their afflicted children in the hopes of improving them. There is no magic bullet cure for ASD, and even neuro-typical children need to be trained to properly care for an animal. With an autistic child that training can be very challenging.
Transy commented on Oct 12 09 at 10:30 amFor me the best way can help autism is their own parents or loveones..
Fear of Public Speaking
genre commented on Oct 28 11 at 12:07 amhaving a pet is smart, they mimic how you treat the animals, it follows through with people
My son uses our cat as a way to learn emotions… its interesting to watch. Hes sweetest kid around our cat, and Tilly baby’s him.
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