Cats May Improve Social Skills In Kids With Autism
by Shaun Heasley | January 12, 2021
New research suggests that adopting a cat from a shelter can yield improvements for children with autism. (Ekaterina Kuznetsova/Unsplash)
Adopting a cat can make a big difference for kids with autism, new research suggests.
Children with the developmental disorder showed increased empathy and experienced fewer problem behaviors after welcoming a pet cat into their homes. They also displayed less separation anxiety, externalizing, bullying and hyperactivity or inattention.
The findings come from a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing looking at 11 families with children with autism ages 6 to 14. Four of the families adopted a cat from a shelter right away and were followed for 18 weeks. The remaining families were monitored for the initial 18-week period at which point they adopted shelter cats and were followed for another 18 weeks.
The findings could be useful for families considering adopting a companion animal for their child.
“Previous research has shown parents of kids with autism are more stressed than parents of kids with any other disability,” says Gretchen Carlisle, a former school nurse and now a research scientist at the University of Missouri Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
“If a family is considering adopting a companion animal, we want to provide the best evidence-based information possible so they can make an informed decision, and cats might be more beneficial than dogs to some families.”
In the study, families that had children with autism aged 6-14 were recruited through the university’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders and monitored after adopting a cat into their home. The cats were screened for temperament to ensure they were calm and a good match for the family. The families reported an instant bond
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