Having a dog, cat or even a guinea pig nearby increases the chances that
children with autism will engage socially with people around them, a new study suggests.
Kids with autism were more likely to talk, look at other people’s faces and
make physical contact when in the presence of animals as compared to toys,
researchers reported Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE. Moreover, the children
laughed and smiled more and they were less likely to frown, cry or whine.
For the study, 90 kids ages 5 to 13 were divided into groups of three, each
including one child with autism and two typically developing kids. Researchers
observed the groups during several 10-minute play sessions where the children
were either given toys or two guinea pigs to engage with.
In addition to seeing more socialization from the children with autism in the
presence of the animals as compared to the toys, researchers found that the
typically developing kids more frequently approached the children with autism
when the guinea pigs were around.
It’s unclear exactly why kids with autism saw such benefits from the guinea
pigs, but researchers suggested that it may be that the presence of the animals
made the environment less stressful for them.
Source: www.disabilityscoop.com
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