Which Animals Are Best for Kids with Autism?

We have two cats and later got a small dog. All kids will react differently to different pets. my son hardly acknowledged we had cats when he was 4 and took 3 months for him to notice one cat was gone. Kids who have particular fears of people may also have those same fears of pets. Pets are unpredictable in behavior and some kids with ASD need to dominate their surroundings and have every thing predictable. There really is no pet for a child with autism, it’s more like what the child would accept and do well with a type of pet.
My son never liked large dogs, or their fur. My sister has Golden Retrievers and for my son, the fur affect his sensory issues and the dogs size seemed to intimidate my son. My aunt one day wouldn’t take no for an answer, and sent us home with the last puppy of the litter. Best breed and puppy for my son. The dog weighs no more than 10 pounds, very active and not much fur. This dog was only trained by me, and she is very protective of my son. The best thing about the small active dog, is her over reaction to my son coming home from school. The dog makes her ‘feeling’ very obvious!
I would experience different pets through relatives and pet stores, to find a pet that’s right for your child. Like any parent, you’re going to be the main caregiver to any pet, so you’ll want a pet you like too. I myself could never deal with a rodent type pet!

below is a link to locate by state Horse Riding for the Disabled:
Click here: North American Riding for the Handicapped Association – NARHA.org
or http://www.narha.org/Centers/FindCenter2.asp

Often people are advised to wait until their children are five to get a new pet. One of the reasons is mentioned by Sandy – animals can be unpredictable — and so can young children. Once I was considering a lab puppy for my son (who was 8 at the time), and a breeder was very apprehensive about dogs and kids with autism because of some trouble she’d heard of several times — dogs getting freaked out about sometimes about the kid and growling and trying to bite, etc. I was surprised to hear this because you always hear about how good kids with autism are with animals! Not always it turns out!

Later, I observed both kinds of situations — kids and animals that did well together, and those who were downright dangerous together. It really varies.

The North Star goes through the trouble of really making sure there is a good fit and dealing with training, etc. I would love to get one puppy for Jalen, who is now 13 and loves animals, but my husband is dead set against a dog. Jalen does do well with some of the neighbors’ dogs, however. He’s allowed to pet and hug the dogs who have the right temperament.

We do have cats that Jalen loves and a parakeet he also loves. He helps care for them, but mostly he loves petting them! He also visits the animal shelter and pet stores regularly and looks at animal books, etc.

We’ve almost always had a dog in the house (except for a year between one dog’s death and adopting the next dog), and there were often other people’s pet dogs brought to my autistic son’s special ed classroom when he was younger (I don’t think that’s been done yet this year in high school). My son did NOT like being forced to interact with dogs, or having dogs force themselves upon him (by coming up to him, jumping on him, licking him, etc.). We’ve worked on increasing his comfort level around dogs by encouraging him to pet the family dog at the end of evening devotions, and he’s learned that giving the dog a table scrap or opening the door so she can “do her business” outside will get her out of his way (temporarily). As he’s gotten more verbal, he’s tried telling the dog “Baby, come” when he wants her to go away — but he doesn’t quite have the right “command voice” yet that she’ll listen to. Other than that, if our son’s around someone else (man or beast) long enough, he gets more used to that individual.
(A horse isn’t exactly a pet for most people, but my son loved taking turns riding on a “therapy horse” with his classmates. Perhaps it was quieter than most dogs and sitting on top of it helped him feel more in control of the situation — go figure! A 3-year-old such as the reader’s child might possibly derive similar enjoyment from a pony ride (at zoos, apple orchards, etc.); try a slow time without many other riders for the first time, and be there to monitor the situation in case it’s too overwhelming for the child even so.)

My 11 year old autistic son has two young Boas as unlikely as it sounds! But he interacts great with them and is very gentle. The snakes are even affectionate and he scratches their chins which they enjoy. He is even concerned when they need to keep warm and will make sure that they are comfortable, which shows that he has a responsble nature. I did try a dog at first, but he was nervous because of the size. But when the animal is smaller than he, he’s more confident. Having a young animal(s) means that they can grow as the child does so that the relationship with them develops more.

My 8 year old autistic son loves all animals in the abstract and cares about their welfare (he couldn’t even sit through the movie “Over the Hedge” since the animals were in danger and their habitat replaced by a subdivision of McMansions).

But he doesn’t really love being around animals because of allergies and sensory issues. Dogs slobber, and the two times he has tried riding ponies (as a pre-schooler), he went completely limp. The height and motion was probably too much for his delicate senses.

We have an aquarium, but the novelty wore off very quickly for him.

I agree it’s best to see how it goes visiting various pets, before committing to having one in your home.

I have a 3 yr daughter she is autistic she loves dogs . i bought her a big dog now we are going to train him.he is very gentil.so now we have oure work cut out i have faith we will get it done.he is a bloodhound very gental.very lovable.

My son is 4 and likes to look at our lizards and we also have sugar gliders he likes to poke at but they move very quickly. Once one of them jumped on him and he has been afraid of them ever since. He also tries to avoid the Rotweiller mostly because she is taller than him and 1 lick she gets his whole face and he hates it. He really enjoys the fish tanks but it is hard to keep him from getting in them. we actually had to get rid of an outdoor tank and the pond.

My 11 yo AS son would love a dog or cat. However, living in an apartment restricts us greatly. So I found that a Guinea Pig would be a great substitute. It worked for the first year but now he hardly pets the pig. My son will sometimes not respond to the pig’s squells. I have to remind him what the noises mean and what the pig needs. I beleive a dog would be more demanding and louder gaining a child’s attention but it is obvious my son still has not grasped the concept just yet. I end up prompting him still. Visiting the pet shop and family members with pets seem to work the best.

I am considering becoming a trainer of dogs to be used with autistic children as their therapy/service dog. I am concerned that impulsive behavior or a child may hurt the dog. Do you have information and the animals welfare ??

Our daughter ( 4years) has been diagnosed a having a slight touch of Autism . when she was 3 Years old , she used to enjoy animals – both as real animals ( a big cat at her auntie’s house ) and also in picture books .she has been on speeach & occupantional therapy , sa well as GFCF diet .
the change happened when during one of her speech therapy sessions, the therapist played sounds of various animals , and suddenly our daughter screamed loudly hearing a cow’s sound. her reaction was very terrfied and she went outside running in the street. we brought her back into the therapy room but of no use – just more creaming and shouting.
Ever since that day ( 6 months ago ) our daughter has developed an unusual fear of most animals .Apart from a small tortose and 3 chicks that we have at home ,she always gets terrified seeing other anmials specially monkeys & cows , even she avoid looking at animals pictures in books , and also aviod animals on TV.
we tried to encourage her by engaging in activities taht invlove animals , such as animals stor , coloring , drawing , but with no success.

Today only her mother showed a soft toy to her younger brother (2 years ) , and our dughter got extremely nervous , shouting loud and screaming , and even scratching her elder sister and pulling away her baby brither from his neck.

still – after all that – she is capable of recognizing different animals sounds since the age of 3 years.

Is there anything that we can do to help her overcome her anima phopia ?

My daughter is 4 years old, and was just diagnosed as having Asperger’s syndrome, which is a variation of Autism. We have had animals around her since she was a baby. She really seems to enjoy being around cats or smaller dogs, but cannot handle big dogs. They scare her terribly. She also does not like dogs jumping on her. The sensation of their nails(even if trimmed neatly)on her legs upsets her, and will often put her in hysterics. However, if the dog is calm and small, and she can pet it without fear of it jumping or getting in her face, she is quite content. It actually seems that having a dog around has been therapeutic. My advice is this: if there are sensory problems with fur, try a scaly friend…another parent listed that his son loves his two boas. If the child genuinely does not like animals, having a pet could be detrimental. But, since kids with ASD ARE so sensory, some children may benefit from the stimulus that petting an animal provides. My daughter’s dog has been a great help when it comes to socialization, too. She has learned how to be gentle,and plays very well with the dog. This was by no means automatic. It took a lot of verbal redirection and physical prompting to teach her how to interact with the dog properly. She has begun using some of this(imagine that!!! LOL)in her interactions with other children. You, as a child with ASD’S parent, are the best judge of what will do well for your child, and what just will not work.

We wanted to try a small dog for our son (5 at the time). We found a Jack Russel Rat Terrier. Though the puppy was a trick to potty train, my son took to her right away. He whispers in her ear and talks to her. Personally, I think the best thing about it is that my son often wonders what she is thinking? For a Children with Autism, that wonderment is a miracle. I would recommend this small breed.

I am a licensed clinical social worker and use animal assisted therapy, including miniature horses. I also use the minis for therapeutic pony visits- there is no riding and meet and greet and grooming types of activities. We are a part of a program called Personal Ponies, they have a website. We do the visits for free and are located thru out the US. What I’ve seen though is that some kids connect with some animals, you just never know until you try. The minis do offer the added advantage of small size, but great personalities.

My is four years old.WE have had her in school since she was one. she has come so far and is doing so well. I am thinking about buying her a pet monkey. and i am wondering if that would be a good animal for her to have? please share your input. thank you -katie-

My son has Asperger’s Syndrome and has an autism service dog. He’s a year old yellow lab.

This dog helps our son in so many ways, although they can be subtle. Mainly he helps our son with his overwhelming anxiety and can help him calm down when he is melting down.

We got him from an organization in Denver called Klassi Kritters and were very pleased. at http://www.klassikritters.com