Posted by Susan Moffitt on Wednesday, March 6th, 2013
Scientists at the University of Queensland, Australia, have found that “the presence of an animal can significantly increase positive social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)”. Their recent study compared how 5-13 children on the spectrum interacted with adults and neurotypical peers in the presence of two guinea pigs compared to toys. In [...]
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Posted in Autism and Animals, Studies, Uncategorized 
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Posted by Michelle Gonzalez on Sunday, December 18th, 2011
We have some sad news to share, following up on a previous story we wrote about last week. According to WCSC in South Carolina, Toby, the autism service dog who had been taken from a family’s front yard, has turned up dead in the same location. Kelly Nolan, the mother of the child who the [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism and Animals, Autism and the Media, Autism News 5 Comments »
Posted by Michelle Gonzalez on Thursday, December 15th, 2011
South Carolina brings us an upsetting story involving the theft of an autism service dog on Tuesday from a family’s front yard in Moncks Corner, a small town north of Charleston. Toby, an American Bull Terrier, was snatched by a white female with blonde hair after she stopped in front of the family’s home. The [...]
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Posted by Susan Moffitt on Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
The recent trends in autism news have been dispiriting, to say the least. The persecution of parents with autism, a community rejecting a group home for young adults with autism, the harrowing encounters between individuals with autism and police and rampant wandering cases leave me needing a break from the doom-and-gloom. A story out of [...]
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Posted by Susan Moffitt on Friday, June 24th, 2011
At a time when the heartbreak of wandering is ever present in the news, the battle for having autism service dogs in school rages on. Service dogs are known to calm anxious children, disrupt their tantrums, aid in making transitions and keep them safe from traffic and the hazards of wandering. Yet despite the existence [...]
READ MORE Posted in Alabama, Autism and Animals, Autism and the Law, Autism Services 2 Comments »
Posted by Susan Moffitt on Friday, June 3rd, 2011
Anecdotal stories pore in about the wonderful and therapeutic effects that animals have on children with autism. Reports from Thailand about children on the spectrum riding elephants leave me wishing our elephants weren’t confined to the zoo. But Hippotherapy and Therapeutic Riding are available for our children to benefit from riding a large animal — [...]
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Posted by Michelle Gonzalez on Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
In light of my most recent post about zoos and children with autism, it was only fitting that our family decided to pack our bags and head to Disney’s Animal Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Having never been to this specific park, we were both anxious and curious as to [...]
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Posted by Michelle Gonzalez on Monday, May 30th, 2011
It’s no secret that children love animals, particularly those that are found in zoos. And for those on the autism spectrum, this affinity for zoo animals is seemingly compounded due to the comfort and respite they provide. Some zoos have taken notice, even offering special programs specifically geared towards those with autism, making their zoo [...]
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Posted by Michelle Gonzalez on Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
As the 135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show wraps up in New York City, it has been difficult not to reminisce the many, many hours spent with our son watching dog show reruns on Animal Planet over the years. His affinity for animals (dogs in particular), has always been very strong and may have been [...]
READ MORE Posted in Autism and Animals, Autism News, Autism Support, Autism Therapy, Commentary, Families, Temple Grandin 7 Comments »
