Growing up with dogs has been shown to have many health benefits for children with Autism, here are some of the benefits which have been reported:
• Dog provides a sense of security as dog will love us unconditionally
• Can help decrease ‘meltdowns’ and aggression
• Decrease anxiety
• Children are more likely to try new things
• More able to face their fears
• Can increase sociability due to the dog being an ‘ice-breaker’ and taking the focus away from the child
• Can encourage verbal communication as the child talks to the dog and also increases vocabulary.
If you have a dog or other pets, here are a few things to consider before you adopt.
