Animals Ease Social Anxiety in Kids With Autism

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Animals Ease Social Anxiety in Kids With Autism


Companion animals, such as dogs, cats, and even guinea pigs, may be a helpful addition to treatment programs designed to help children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) improve their social skills and interactions with other people, new research suggests.


In a study that measured anxiety and other forms of social arousal in children during interaction with peers using skin conductance, researchers confirmed that symptoms of social anxiety are higher in children with ASD than in their typically developing peers.


The study also showed that all children, regardless of autism diagnosis, felt emotionally better when in the company of the study animals, which for this study were guinea pigs.


The study was led by Marguerite E. O’Haire, PhD, from the Center for the Human-Animal Bond in the College of Veterinary Medicine of Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, and was published online April 27 in Developmental Psychobiology.

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