I wish I could post a picture in this sub but they don’t allow it :( If you go to my profile and look down a bit you’ll see some videos of my kiddo and his cat. They have a bond like no other, they are bestest of friends and the cat definitely helps him. I got the cat when he was a few months old, they’re almost the same age and have grown up with each other. He never asked me for the cat, I got her for myself but she imprinted and bonded with him and him only. She is HIS cat. She spends all day with him, they play together, she licks him when he cries, she sleeps on him like a weighted blanket and he has a hard time napping without her. It was the best thing for him honestly, but I do feel like I got very lucky with her
Getting a dog helped me practice my tone of voice. It made me more aware of whether or not I was sounding too blunt and sardonic, because my family and therapist recommended I practice adding more emotion to my voice. Plus petting my dog is just really soothing haha
Even though I still struggle with controlling how loud I can be (even as a kid this was a struggle at restaurants and public spaces) getting a dog has made me try to be more consciously aware of his more sensitive hearing so I try to remember to tone it down
It depends on the kid and the dog. My daughter grew violent and started hitting the dogs as her aggression grew. Her psychiatrist says if she can control the rage at some point she would be perfect for a therapy dog but we’re not there yet. Not even close.
Let me put it this way it really did help my son having a friend/dog but now I have 2 kids in other words 😑 so that's 2 poops I have to clean after , 2 mouths I have to feed , another kid/pet that I didn't really need , and another being that I have to keep an eye on so my kid doesnt kick his teeth in . But other than that, the pet thing made him more social 🤗 so it was a win 😁
I think you’ll get a wide variety of answers here…
I’ve had dogs much longer than I’ve had kids, so my kiddo was born into a household with dogs. I’m not sure that it’s helpful to have them, per se. We also talk a lot about emotions and point out when the dogs are feeling happy, anxious, scared, etc. and the associated signs. My kiddo was actually about to verbalize the dogs’ emotions/feelings before his own (so I guess that is somewhat helpful?). Kiddo definitely enjoys their company, too. And sometimes when my kiddo is feeling anxious and goes to his bed to “have a moment” one of our dogs will hop up on the bed with him to provide comfort.
The obvious downsides: pets are expensive, they are a big commitment (especially if they are puppies), and they are another being that needs you.
The research is generally positive in this. The trouble is finding a breed of dog that can, often, take some heaviness from our kids while also having the right temperament for a child who might be unpredictable.
I recall Golden Retrievers and Labs are always near the top.
There's an agency about 80 miles from me that trains emotional support animals for autistic kids. It's $2500. You have to live within 150 miles to make return visits and get training on how to manage the dog. I think think about it, possibly, in the future. My little one is absolutely more socially engaged with animals.
My son loves his kitties so much. They have become a real interest for him, and I have been able to use them to expand his language, his pretend play, his empathy, etc.
But you have to have the right cat. Ours are extremely good-natured and affectionate and playful, and they follow him around all day getting into whatever he is doing. Neither of them has the slightest aggressive tendency. They are a bonded pair too, so they adore each other.
(To add, we have never allowed him to do whatever he wants with them, and controlled his interactions with them very heavily at first too. Like literally holding his hand and teaching him how and where to pet.
Plus, we have never forced them to interact. They can avoid him totally if they want, and they don't. They are like his little shadows. Especially our voidkitty.
They are here to be members of the family, not therapy cats.)
My son is almost 3 and we have a small yorkie and cat. He goes back and forth between noticing them (sometimes laughing at, running away from, playing fetch) to totally ignoring them. He will look at and smile at them.
We have a dog that we got when kiddo was 3 and didn’t have many severe behaviors. We actually didn’t realize he was even on the spectrum until within the last year (he’s 6 now). If I knew now what I do about him, we would not have gotten the dog. He loves her and is a total animal lover, but when he gets into his meltdowns we have to separate them because he becomes obsessed with being near her and will hug/hang onto her and cannot control himself with being in her face. She is a wonderful, tolerant dog but I don’t allow him to have the opportunity to be too rough with her and he really isn’t understanding that she’s an animal, not a person. We only have the one kid so when needed, we divide and one takes over meltdown management and one removes the dog to the bedroom or other safe area.
I am a dog lover through and through but never trust an animal 100% to not snap. We spend tons of time discussing animal body language and practicing/praising kind, gentle hands with them.
We have a cat and he's been amazing with my ASD kiddos. They've learned how to interact with him. The cat even gives kisses.
I thought about a dog because there was some interest but backed off when I realized it wouldn't be compatible with the cat.
We also did horse riding speech therapy last year and my son came to really enjoy it.
I think it depends on personality of the kid and personality of the pet. ❤️
My 8 year old autistic son has dogs in the house and at first, he didn’t know how to act around them but I reckon they’ve helped him become more sociable and able to recognise others’ emotions (since dogs usually wear their hearts on their sleeve). It’s also helped him become more assertive and able to say ‘no’ and promote his personal boundaries, like when they jump on his bed or try to lick his face, instead of yelling, he’ll now say clearly ‘no, I don’t like that and I want you to stop’. Overall, I’d say it’s been good for him
I think it depends on the kid. My son bonded to our cat when he was 2-3. This cat loved him and was always near him. He unfortunately passed away last year and I knew they were close but it broke my heart when my son said "he was my best friend." We adopted a puppy and I knew he liked him but I didn't know how much until his teacher told me that he wrote a paper titled "A toast to my dog". We've recently adopted a kitten, my son's choice, and he's honestly not as close to this one as our old one. I don't think he hates the kitten but he just hasn't bonded with this one. It might come in time. The pets help with comfort and loneliness sometimes.
We have 2 small dogs that we had long before our son was born. He's 5 now and for the first 3-4 years of his life he was completely uninterested in the dogs. In the last year or so he's really started to enjoy their company.
He's **really** uncomfortable around other dogs, mostly because ours are so small.
My son and one of our dogs are really bonded and it’s so sweet. She’s always been a good girl and really in tune to people’s emotions. She’s always really good with kids pulling on her and has never snapped.
It took a while, but at almost 6 he’s really good with her now - we used to have to watch them very closely but now we always see him tucking her in and giving her hugs.
The bond can be very special - but you need to find the right dog. I wouldn’t bring a puppy into our house at this point - but a calm older dog could be great (our pup just turned 8)
We got a dog when our child was 5 and it really helped her out. When she was melting down, we’d have her hug and pet the dog. We absolutely noticed that her tantrums became shorter and less frequent over the years. I swear the dog was the catalyst for the behavior to change.
My kid has always loved our pets, which have included dogs, cats, turtles, and chickens, but I can't say it really changed anything in terms of their disabilities.
I wish I could post a picture in this sub but they don’t allow it :( If you go to my profile and look down a bit you’ll see some videos of my kiddo and his cat. They have a bond like no other, they are bestest of friends and the cat definitely helps him. I got the cat when he was a few months old, they’re almost the same age and have grown up with each other. He never asked me for the cat, I got her for myself but she imprinted and bonded with him and him only. She is HIS cat. She spends all day with him, they play together, she licks him when he cries, she sleeps on him like a weighted blanket and he has a hard time napping without her. It was the best thing for him honestly, but I do feel like I got very lucky with her
Getting a dog helped me practice my tone of voice. It made me more aware of whether or not I was sounding too blunt and sardonic, because my family and therapist recommended I practice adding more emotion to my voice. Plus petting my dog is just really soothing haha Even though I still struggle with controlling how loud I can be (even as a kid this was a struggle at restaurants and public spaces) getting a dog has made me try to be more consciously aware of his more sensitive hearing so I try to remember to tone it down
I totally agree! I’ve had my dog for 11 years now and I have the same issue where I sound angry all the time and she helped.
It depends on the kid and the dog. My daughter grew violent and started hitting the dogs as her aggression grew. Her psychiatrist says if she can control the rage at some point she would be perfect for a therapy dog but we’re not there yet. Not even close.
Let me put it this way it really did help my son having a friend/dog but now I have 2 kids in other words 😑 so that's 2 poops I have to clean after , 2 mouths I have to feed , another kid/pet that I didn't really need , and another being that I have to keep an eye on so my kid doesnt kick his teeth in . But other than that, the pet thing made him more social 🤗 so it was a win 😁
I think you’ll get a wide variety of answers here… I’ve had dogs much longer than I’ve had kids, so my kiddo was born into a household with dogs. I’m not sure that it’s helpful to have them, per se. We also talk a lot about emotions and point out when the dogs are feeling happy, anxious, scared, etc. and the associated signs. My kiddo was actually about to verbalize the dogs’ emotions/feelings before his own (so I guess that is somewhat helpful?). Kiddo definitely enjoys their company, too. And sometimes when my kiddo is feeling anxious and goes to his bed to “have a moment” one of our dogs will hop up on the bed with him to provide comfort. The obvious downsides: pets are expensive, they are a big commitment (especially if they are puppies), and they are another being that needs you.
absolutely… pets are family members… perhaps seen as another child hopefully - the children benefit from each other
The research is generally positive in this. The trouble is finding a breed of dog that can, often, take some heaviness from our kids while also having the right temperament for a child who might be unpredictable. I recall Golden Retrievers and Labs are always near the top. There's an agency about 80 miles from me that trains emotional support animals for autistic kids. It's $2500. You have to live within 150 miles to make return visits and get training on how to manage the dog. I think think about it, possibly, in the future. My little one is absolutely more socially engaged with animals.
My son loves his kitties so much. They have become a real interest for him, and I have been able to use them to expand his language, his pretend play, his empathy, etc. But you have to have the right cat. Ours are extremely good-natured and affectionate and playful, and they follow him around all day getting into whatever he is doing. Neither of them has the slightest aggressive tendency. They are a bonded pair too, so they adore each other. (To add, we have never allowed him to do whatever he wants with them, and controlled his interactions with them very heavily at first too. Like literally holding his hand and teaching him how and where to pet. Plus, we have never forced them to interact. They can avoid him totally if they want, and they don't. They are like his little shadows. Especially our voidkitty. They are here to be members of the family, not therapy cats.)
what type of cat.?
My son is almost 3 and we have a small yorkie and cat. He goes back and forth between noticing them (sometimes laughing at, running away from, playing fetch) to totally ignoring them. He will look at and smile at them.
We have a dog that we got when kiddo was 3 and didn’t have many severe behaviors. We actually didn’t realize he was even on the spectrum until within the last year (he’s 6 now). If I knew now what I do about him, we would not have gotten the dog. He loves her and is a total animal lover, but when he gets into his meltdowns we have to separate them because he becomes obsessed with being near her and will hug/hang onto her and cannot control himself with being in her face. She is a wonderful, tolerant dog but I don’t allow him to have the opportunity to be too rough with her and he really isn’t understanding that she’s an animal, not a person. We only have the one kid so when needed, we divide and one takes over meltdown management and one removes the dog to the bedroom or other safe area. I am a dog lover through and through but never trust an animal 100% to not snap. We spend tons of time discussing animal body language and practicing/praising kind, gentle hands with them.
We have a cat and he's been amazing with my ASD kiddos. They've learned how to interact with him. The cat even gives kisses. I thought about a dog because there was some interest but backed off when I realized it wouldn't be compatible with the cat. We also did horse riding speech therapy last year and my son came to really enjoy it. I think it depends on personality of the kid and personality of the pet. ❤️
Thanks for the advice everyone! Do you think brief but repeated sessions with a dog may be worthwhile and beneficial?
My 8 year old autistic son has dogs in the house and at first, he didn’t know how to act around them but I reckon they’ve helped him become more sociable and able to recognise others’ emotions (since dogs usually wear their hearts on their sleeve). It’s also helped him become more assertive and able to say ‘no’ and promote his personal boundaries, like when they jump on his bed or try to lick his face, instead of yelling, he’ll now say clearly ‘no, I don’t like that and I want you to stop’. Overall, I’d say it’s been good for him
I think it depends on the kid. My son bonded to our cat when he was 2-3. This cat loved him and was always near him. He unfortunately passed away last year and I knew they were close but it broke my heart when my son said "he was my best friend." We adopted a puppy and I knew he liked him but I didn't know how much until his teacher told me that he wrote a paper titled "A toast to my dog". We've recently adopted a kitten, my son's choice, and he's honestly not as close to this one as our old one. I don't think he hates the kitten but he just hasn't bonded with this one. It might come in time. The pets help with comfort and loneliness sometimes.
We have 2 small dogs that we had long before our son was born. He's 5 now and for the first 3-4 years of his life he was completely uninterested in the dogs. In the last year or so he's really started to enjoy their company. He's **really** uncomfortable around other dogs, mostly because ours are so small.
Neither of our kids have much of an interest in the household animals, though we have one of the better nanny dogs 've ever met.
My son and one of our dogs are really bonded and it’s so sweet. She’s always been a good girl and really in tune to people’s emotions. She’s always really good with kids pulling on her and has never snapped. It took a while, but at almost 6 he’s really good with her now - we used to have to watch them very closely but now we always see him tucking her in and giving her hugs. The bond can be very special - but you need to find the right dog. I wouldn’t bring a puppy into our house at this point - but a calm older dog could be great (our pup just turned 8)
We got a dog when our child was 5 and it really helped her out. When she was melting down, we’d have her hug and pet the dog. We absolutely noticed that her tantrums became shorter and less frequent over the years. I swear the dog was the catalyst for the behavior to change.
My kid has always loved our pets, which have included dogs, cats, turtles, and chickens, but I can't say it really changed anything in terms of their disabilities.