Autistic Children – How Pets Can Improve Their Social Skills

“Kids with autism don’t always readily engage with others,” says Dr. Carlisle, “but if there’s a pet in the home that the child is bonded with and a visitor starts asking about the pet, the child may be more likely to respond.”

A new study finds that when Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children live with family pets, they often have an easier time interacting with other children.

“When I compared the social skills of children with autism who lived with dogs to those who did not, the children with dogs appeared to have greater social skills,” Gretchen Carlisle, the study’s lead author and a research fellow at the Missouri University College of Veterinary Medicine, said in a statement.

Autistic children have stronger social skills when they live with pets, according to a new study from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

These are some of the recent remarks from doctors and studies that reveal that pets play the most significant role in the life of autistic children. Pets help the children with autism to become more assertive and develop social skills that make interactions easier.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – commonly known as Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, restricted and repetitive behavior. Currently, one in 68 children suffers from ASD in the United States.

Pets especially dogs are not only highly useful in therapeutic programs but are also helpful in improving lives of ASD children. The service dogs specially trained to aid autistic children can develop social skills in children with autism and help them to be more assertive.

A large body of research has found that families with ASD children largely benefit if they own pets. They help to improve social interaction and make developmental disability children to engage in talks with other normal kids. Pets have been linked to grow greater empathy and social confidence in typically developing children.

Not only dogs, the researchers say that other pets such as cats and rabbits can have similar positive effect in autistic child. With any kind of pet in the home, children are more likely to engage in behaviors such as making new interactions, asking about information, introducing themselves or actively responding to other people’s questions.

Researcher Gretchen Carlisle points that the four-legged companions often act as social lubricants. She further confirms – “Kids with autism don’t always readily engage with others, but if there’s a pet in the home that the child is bonded with and a visitor starts asking about the pet, the child may be more likely to respond.”

New researches and several studies claim that pets, no doubt, are the living teaching tools for children with autistic disorder. Such children living with pets are more assertive. These animals can assist in increased social interaction and improved verbal and non-verbal communication among autistic children along with decreased stress and behavioral problem.

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