Pets have a positive effect on the behaviour of young people with autism, a new study has confirmed.
Research at the University of Northampton looked at the effects of animals on 11 under-18s with ASD living in the Midlands and Northern Ireland. The participants included those with Asperger syndrome.
Katy Bolus: “Parents reported many positive changes in behaviour when their children interacted with their pets”
Conducted by student Katy Bolus, the study involved interviews with parents about their child’s relationship with a range of pets. They included cats, dogs, guinea pigs, fish, rabbits, a turtle and a snake.
Bolus said: “Parents reported many positive changes in behaviour when their children interacted with their pets.”
She added: “These included increased calmness, increased social interaction and communication and decreases in negative behaviours such as meltdowns.”
Pets also seemed to help reduce some traits that are often reported in people with ASD. These included facial tics, hand flapping, repetitive and obsessive behaviour and aggressive and violent behaviour.
In addition, parents said that the animals seemed to enhance feelings of empathy. Caring for pets by feeding them or taking a dog for a walk appeared to help the children understand the importance of caring for others.
On the negative side, sensory difficulties worsened in some instances, with children becoming less calm around their pets.
Bolus hopes her findings will help parents who are considering having a family pet to make a more informed decision, based on their child’s characteristics.
She said: “Parents are with their children most of their waking hours and so their perceptions are crucial if you are attempting to understand the relationship between children and their pets.”
Bolus said that most current research into the effect of pets on children with ASD has measured behaviour over a short time, usually involving experimental methods. Her research was different, she said, in the way that it involved measuring behaviour in children over a long time, with parents reflecting on their child’s experiences.
Published: 2 September 2015
