AP21202

Science Summary

If you are like a large majority of people in America, you would agree when I say that pets add a feeling of acceptance and love into your life. A recent study suggests that this could have a positive effect on children with autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects the individuals communication and social skills among other things (Bell-Abbott,Cheryl, Gen. Psych). It specifically has an effect in the symbolic function stage, being able to tell one thing from another, of their cognitive development (Wood, 241). In this study, 70 parents of autistic children were interviewed on the topic of owning a dog and the differences they see in their children. They found "Nearly two-thirds of the parents in the study owned dogs, and of those parents, 94 percent reported their children with autism were bonded to their dogs."(University of Missouri-Columbia, 2014). They also found that in the families without dogs, 70 percent of the children liked dogs. They believe that the dogs can act as a hypothetical bridge for these children when it comes to social interaction. A good example they gave was "...children with autism may find it difficult to interact with other neighborhood children. If the children with autism invite their peers to play with their dogs, then the dogs can serve as bridges that help the children with autism communicate with their peers." (University of Missouri-Columbia, 2014). As Cheryl Bell-Abbott pointed out in our General Psychology lecture, autistic children are very particular in what they prefer and also have specific sensitivities. This study was not specific on the types of dogs. I would like to see more studies done with a variety of different animals and breeds to see if the results come out the same.

References:
 * 1) University of Missouri-Columbia. "Dog ownership benefits families of children with autism." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 April 2014. .
 * 2) Wood, Samuel E., Ellen R. Green. Wood, and Denise Roberts. Boyd. //Mastering the World of Psychology//. Fourth ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2011. Print.
 * 3) Bell-Abbott, Cheryl. General Psychology. Saint John's River State College, Orange Park. 17 July 2014. Guest Speaker.

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