Tap Into The Power of Pets for Adults with Autism

Photo of a hand with painted dark fingernails wearing a wrist watch reaching out to a black cat's paw reaching out toward the hand from a high surface perch.

As you read this, is there a furry friend curled up beside you? The unconditional love of a pet can do more than just keep their owner’s company.

A recent study of 735 adults, 326 of whom had autism, resulted in researchers finding pets make a big difference. Pets helped the participants improve their quality of life.

Black Silhouette icons of 6 pets: guinea pig, rabbit, hamster, bird, cat, dog. — Photo Credit: CC0 Public Domain, PublicDomainPictures.net

Adults on the spectrum completed questionnaires designed to assess their autism traits and social behaviors. Those who owned pets were evaluated to measure the level of attachment to their pet and how much they attributed human characteristics to their pet.

Photo of young man in a gray turtleneck sweater holing up a gray striped kitten and kissing the kitten near cheek, neck as the kitten looks sweetly down. — Photo Credit: Leonardo.rothscild, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The study was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Liam Cross of Edge Hill University in England was one of the contributors to the study. After looking at factors such as social isolation, social anxiety, loneliness and overall satisfaction of life, Cross stated “Pet ownership led to a higher quality of life, less anxiety, and a wide range of other benefits.” He continued, “it didn’t matter what kind of pets people owned, dogs, cats, rats, even fish all had similar effects. Almost every participant in the study highlighted a close bond with their pets that went hand in hand with improvement in overall quality of life.”

Results also found that people with autism were more likely to have pets that were not dogs. They were also inclined to substitute their pet for a person. Some felt that pets helped to reduce loneliness.

A key aspect of the therapeutic benefits of pets was the tactile stimulation that pets provided their owners. (Think when you get the warm fuzzies scratching your dog’s tummy or petting your cat while it sits on your lap.) Participants discussed how the weight of a pet and the sensation of touching fur, or even scales, was soothing in and of itself.

Pet ownership brings so much happiness and joy. It also teaches responsibility. It may seem that taking care of oneself is hard enough. However, adding a little responsibility can help bring focus and routine to life. This is especially important for adults on the spectrum.

Whether it’s feeding the cat, walking the dog, or cleaning the hamster cage, responsibilities matter. The jobs associated with owning a pet remind a person that they are very capable of taking care of themselves and someone else. Not to mention, this provides structure and routine to their day.

If you are supporting a person with autism who cannot have a pet, there are still ways to give them the experience and pleasure of interacting with animals. Many animal shelters need volunteers for cat cuddling and dog walking. Connect with animals online through YouTube live streams. Some sanctuaries and adoption centers have live cameras on their animals so that viewers can feel like they are really there. Simply type in your favorite animal plus “live stream” on YouTube, and something is bound to pop up. One final suggestion, offer to help with family and neighbor’s animals.