London: Playing with furry pets could help autistic children over five years improve their social skills, according to a new study.
Researchers found youngsters with the developmental disorder were better able to both offer comfort and share things if they had a `furry friend`, while those who never had a pet showed no improvements, the `Daily Mail` reported.
The study conducted in two parts by Hospital Research Centre of Brest in France noted that this effect was not seen in autistic youngsters who had pets in their family from birth.
Researchers said this could be because a pet brought in later could have novelty value, while strengthening family bonds by increasing their interaction with each other.
The study analysed 24 autistic children with an average age of 11 who attended a daycare in France.
A dozen had received a dog, cat or rabbit after turning five while the rest had never had a pet.
The children`s parents had completed a survey commonly used to diagnose autism when the children were five, and filled it in again at the time of the study.
The results revealed that the children with pets were better able to share food or toys with their parents or other children and also improved in comforting other children in distress.
However, no such improvement was seen in a second study that compared eight children who had pets in the family from birth and eight who had no pets.
Previous researchers found pets enhance skills in children with typical development, including improving self-esteem and empathy.
The findings have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.