Shots - Health News Wed February 27, 2013 How Guinea Pigs Could
Help Autistic Children Originally published on Thu February 28,
2013 12:18 pm Feeling a little awkward? Consider skipping the
alcohol and grabbing a pet instead. As any dog walker knows,
it's easy — unavoidable, even — to strike up conversations with
strangers when accompanied by a canine friend. Smaller animals
like rabbits and turtles can also lubricate social interactions.
Given this effect, Maggie O'Haire, a doctoral candidate in
psychology at the University of Queensland, wondered if animals
could also help children with autism spectrum disorders connect
with other people. As it turns out, they can. In a study
described in the latest PLOS ONE, O'Haire and her colleagues
introduced two guinea pigs into 15 different classrooms and
looked at how the presence of these furry creatures affected the
interactions of autistic children with adults and non-autistic
kids. The researchers found that autistic children were
significantly more talkative and