Pet Projects

Dogs, cats, horses, dolphins, gerbils — could animals be the key to helping people with autism? For decades, some therapists have argued that using pets in therapy sessions helps children feel more at ease, focus their attention and communicate better. For example, a study published last year found that when children who have autism are with their therapy dogs, the amount of cortisol, a stress hormone, in their saliva plummets.This was one of the first reports to put animal therapy under scientific scrutiny, following heaps of compelling anecdotes in the popular press. Read more at...SFARI, April 2011.