Autism Soccer: Pets and children

Monday, July 16, 2018

Dogs and Autism: A Friend to Discover the World!

The presence of a dog as a pet for children with ASD can be very beneficial.

Dogs have been a great company for humans for hundreds of years. They can even be very helpful in personal fields such as health, especially when it comes to children.

Growing up with a dog is an amazing experience. There are situations in which you might think that it’s not appropriate to have pets, but this is nothing more than a simple appearance. In this article, we’ll show you how dogs benefit autistic children.

How do pets help?

According to a study at the University of Missouri, children with autism who have a pet have greater social skills compared to children who don’t. In the case of children who have dogs, they have better development of these skills. The dogs are very effusive in their displays of affection; also, they look for attention and company.

Socialization

Children with autism who have pets, react well within the processes of social therapy. Although this may vary according to the conditions and characteristics of the autism that each child presents, the interaction with dogs has proved to be extremely beneficial in this regard. The dog becomes part of the social dynamics of the child, its activities, and its centers of interest.

Understanding attitudes and behaviors

One of the most complicated situations to deal with autistic children is to decipher and understand their attitudes and behaviors. However, through interaction with dogs, children can approach and begin to understand the most basic levels (the animal level) to the most complex language structures.

Development of ties with the pet

The child can develop an interest in the pet, and this will lead him to want to know more about his dog. It can facilitate the process of socialization of the child because he will want to investigate more and the topic will be relevant for them.

Although this varies according to the conditions and characteristics of the autism that each child presents, the interaction with dogs has proven to be extremely beneficial.

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Friday, February 17, 2017

Influence of dogs in the growth of Autism Children

A high percentage of kids end up bonding with their pet and develop better social skills than kids that didn't interact with dogs.

Known as the best friend of men, dogs have been around humans for almost 10.000 years. In the beginning, it was a relation of mutual benefits: they helped in the hunt and humans rewarded them with food. Of course, things have changed now, they’re still our companions but now they’re also friends and in most cases, part of the family.

Dogs are very smart animals, capable of comprehending human feelings. Their levels of empathy towards their owners can be surprising: A dog can feel when his owner is sad or depressed, or feel the joy of his happiness. They may not be able to talk, but they understand you.

When introducing a dog to the family you have to be aware that your children may feel insecure about him, and perhaps won’t try to get near at first. There are cases when the children just won’t accept it, that can be a possibility. But on other cases with time they will end up loving each other (the process is different for every child with special needs). You may not know it, but letting your children establish bonds with a dog strengthens their social skills. Also, being in the company of a dog will provide them unconditional love, this will prove to be very important for their future.

The dog your children need can’t just be any dog: it has to be a service dog or at least one that’s friendly towards children, like the Golden Retriever, Newfoundland, Beagle and the Collie. Those are breeds that love being around kids, and will not cause any problems.

Your children need attention, and sometimes it’s difficult for you to be always there for them. Now that you have the perfect dog for him, he won’t feel alone when you’re not around. And if you’re in need of help on getting your children in shape, remember contacting Autism Soccer, they’re the best at sports. Your children need the best help you can give, with them you’ll have it.