Animal Connection

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October 2, 2018

Animals and Autism – What’s behind it Part 5

Susan Dunne
October 2, 2018

We've looked at ways animals can directly benefit people with autism in terms of increased socialisation and communication. In this post we'll consider how animals may be able to bring benefits to the wider family. A 2009 study (Mancil et al) of stress in p...

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July 27, 2015

Animals and autism – Ethics and Safety Part 7

Susan Dunne
July 27, 2015

In this final post of the series I'll be looking at some of the ethical issues that arise when using animals in therapy and in particular the use of exotic animals. Whilst for the majority of people Animal Assisted Interventions will involve the use of smal...

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July 13, 2015

Animals and autism – which animal? Part 6

Susan Dunne
July 13, 2015

When it comes to choosing which animal might be appropriate for people with autism a number of factors could play a part. Whilst potentially any animal from a goldfish to an elephant (more on the use of exotic animals in my next post) can be of assistance, tim...

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June 15, 2015

Autism and Animals – What’s behind it? Part 4

Susan Dunne
June 15, 2015

Animals motivating communication In previous posts we looked at the potential of animals to reduce anxiety and promote social skills. But can it go beyond this? Can interacting with animals promote interaction between people with autism who might otherwise n...

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1593 views
June 8, 2015

Animals and Autism – What’s behind it? Part 3

Susan Dunne
June 8, 2015

In my previous post I looked at ways in which animals can help reduce anxiety in people with autism. In this post I will look at ways in which animals can help teach social skills and different perspectives. All people on the spectrum struggle to some exten...

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1358 views
May 25, 2015

Animals and Autism – What’s behind it Part 2

Susan Dunne
May 25, 2015

In my last post I gave a brief overview of how animal therapy came about and of its particular significance to autism. In this post I'll look at how animals can help reduce fear and anxiety in autism. We're all familiar with the goldfish in the dentist wait...

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May 18, 2015

Animals and Autism – Just what is behind it?

Susan Dunne
May 18, 2015

As yet another story emerges about the amazing affect animals can have on the lives of people with autism, The Huffington Post published an article on May 4, Boy with Aspergers's kisses his mom for the first time after adopting loving rescue pit bull. I though...

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April 23, 2015

Horses helping with Autism

Susan Dunne
April 23, 2015

I first came to horses some years ago as an adult. As a child they had been my overriding obsession but the opportunity to have much contact with them, let alone have one of my own was never a remote possibility. Looking back I wonder how much difference tha...

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Animals and Autism – What’s behind it Part 5

Animals and autism – Ethics and Safety Part 7

Animals and autism – which animal? Part 6

Autism and Animals – What’s behind it? Part 4

Animals and Autism – What’s behind it? Part 3

Animals and Autism – What’s behind it Part 2

Animals and Autism – Just what is behind it?

Horses helping with Autism