Animals Help Autistic Kids Interact Better: Study

An important discovery has been made by researchers at Queensland, Australia, stating that autistic kids benefit from exposure to animals, as exposure to animals can increase the positive social behavior in autistic children.

Nearly one in 88 children suffers from autism by the age of 8, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This has been a long lying mystery of the medical field, as scientists and doctors know very little about this neurological disorder. It impairs the child's social interaction and communication skills.

In this study, the researchers monitored 99 children belonging to the age group 5-13 from the primary schools in Brisbane, Australia. Among these children, some were autistic and some were not. The kids were monitored as they interacted with two guinea pigs, the classroom pets.

The researchers noticed that in the presence of guinea pigs, the children with autism were more likely to interact with their peers than when they were occupied with playing with toys. They looked at the faces and made physical contact with other children and adults.

According to Sciencedaily, the presence of animals increased the occurrences of smiling, laughing, and reduced the behavior of frowning, whining and crying in children.

"The presence of animals appears to encourage social interaction among children with autism," study author Marguerite E. O'Haire, a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Queensland, Australia, told The Huffington Post. "Including an animal in children's playtime or home activities may be an effective way to encourage socialization with other children as well as adults."

The researchers state that kids with autism find classrooms very taxing. And if the stress is reduced with the presence of an animal, the child with ASD finds it easier to interact and be open to social approach behaviors.

He continues to say that when the kids were occupied with the presence of an animal, they spent 55 percent more social behavior when compared to toys.

The study was published in the journal PLoS ONE.