Pets Help Autistic Children Overcome Communication Difficulties

Keeping a pet at home help autistic children to improve their communication skills, a new study says.

About one in every 88 children in the United States is affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disorder that leads to significant social, communication and behavioral changes.

According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), autism starts normally by the age of three and stays throughout one's life. No medical or blood test is available for the early diagnosis of autism. The child's behavior and development are some of the factors doctors use to determine the disorder.

This is the first of its kind study that found strong scientific evidence to prove the animals' role in helping children affected with autism in overcoming their communication problems.

"Most families acquiring a pet experienced an increase in quantity and quality of time spent together, and felt happier after the pet's arrival. This new mood may have positive effects on individuals with autism," Marine Grandgeorge of the Hospital Research Center of Brest in France, told Health Day.

Researchers based their study on earlier findings that showed pets influencing children and improving their communication skills.

To examine the possibility of such an influence of animals on children affected with autism, a team of French researchers selected three different set ups- kids never having a pet, having a pet since birth or starting to keep a pet after age five . Nearly 260 autistic children were included in the study. Parents filled in a questionnaire details about pets at their residence.

Investigators were focussing on the time when the disorder normally reaches its peak - i.e. four and five years. Results showed participants who received a pet after their birth showing improvement in two areas of communication- "offering to share" and "offering comfort" than possessing a pet since birth.

The key factor helping in the occurrence may be pets serving as "distracters," or teaching the child to better understand communication signals and cues, Health Day reported.

"This study reveals that in individuals with autism, pet arrival in the family setting may bring about changes in specific aspects of their socio-emotional development," the authors concluded.

The findings of the study have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.