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How Can You Do Pet Therapy At Home For Individuals With Autism?Many individuals with autism are lacking appropriate social and communication skills. They want to make friends, but usually do not know how to develop these bonds. Your child can easily become so frustrated that they even withdraw from others instead. So, how can you help your autistic child to establish friendships? You use pet therapy! Most children like animals. Many even love animals! The special interest of my daughter with PDD-NOS just happens to be animals! We have two dogs and two cats that are the “guinea pigs” in our pet therapy sessions for my daughter and my son. Now, you may want to know what we do during our therapy. Well, we do not have scheduled therapy sessions. Boooor-ing! Rather we have teaching moments! When something pertinent occurs or a situation arises, then we take a break and talk about it. First, I start by describing and interpreting the body language of their pet for my children. For example, I point out that the cats are relaxed when they are stretched out, but they are irritated when their ears are back, and they are scared when they run away. Then, I discuss how their actions may have contributed to the reactions of the cats. For example, when my children are calm, then the cats can relax. And when my children are noisy, then the cats are irritated. However, when my children make quick uncontrolled movements, then the cats are scared. We also discuss what they should have done before and what they can do next. We have also been working on simple dog training which requires significant interactions and feedback between the dogs and my children. I usually need to point out when the dogs are ready for a break! Petting the dog and cat also contributes to their daily sensory diet for sensory integration dysfunction. They just love to touch the fur! In addition, my children have their daily chores with their pets, such as feeding, watering, brushing, and cat box duty. They become more aware of the needs of others by doing these tasks. And they learn responsibility. Perhaps, most important, my children are learning empathy for and friendships with our animals. And I have seen considerable improvements in these areas with people, too! We use cats and dogs at home, and horses during horseback riding lessons. However, you can use a variety of animals at home or with pet therapists. You can even learn many of these skills during dolphin therapy! If you are thinking about getting a cat or a dog, you need to know about cat ownership and dog ownership. Pets are huge responsibilities for the entire family, but the rewards can be even greater! Pet therapy may very well be one of the most fun types of autism therapy!
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