Best Pets For Asperger’s May Cause Disagreements
Written by SAPL on October 16th, 2018 in Children and Adolescents.
While it’s almost agreed upon universally that a pet may help those with certain conditions, even if those conditions don’t make them officially “disabled,” the best pet for an autistic child may still be up for discussion.
Dogs have traditionally been considered great for special needs, but some experts are pointing the paw towards cats.
Gretchen Carlisle, affiliated with the Missouri University (MU) Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) believes cats should be considered over dogs for several reasons.
The main reason is that dogs are more “frisky,” (the puns will never end) and this natural behavior may exacerbate autistic symptoms even more. Dogs bark, and the loud noise may cause a problem for some autistic children. Cats are normally less aggressive with play and meows are softer on the ears.
Carlisle found that out of 70 parents of autistic children that came to her center, about two-thirds of the households owned dogs. The majority of these parents found the dog was beneficial to the child.
Carlisle’s arguments for cats are valid, but there are many other animals that could potentially be great for autistic children for a variety of reasons. Asperger children in particular, often become focused on a special interest. Often times, that interest is animals. The child may have a fascination with other types of pets, such as reptiles or birds. In these situations, a pet may not necessarily serve as comfort, but an outlet for these interests.
Whatever decision a parent makes, the most important factor to remember is the ability for the child and parent to care for the animal. Pets bring responsibility that all children benefit from learning.
