Researchers from the Hospital Research Centre of Brest in France compared children with autism whose families introduced a pet at age five with those families who had no pets, and families where children grew up with or without a pet.
Parents were asked to complete a survey used to diagnose autism when the children were five and then again at the time of the study. They also asked parents about the presence of pets in the family, their child’s relationship with the pet and whether the pet was bought especially for their child.
For the first study, they analysed 24 children with autism with an average age of 11. A dozen had received a dog, cat or rabbit after they turned five, while the rest had never had a pet.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here