WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD Aug. 1, 2012 -- By just
about any measure of accomplishment, Danny Gross would be
considered a successful young adult. The 25-year-old is a
popular graduate student in cinematic arts at the University of
Southern California, and his mother, Patty, calls him an all-
around great kid. He is also on the autism spectrum. His mother
is convinced that his childhood golden retriever, Madison, who
joined the family when Danny was 7, played a part in his
success, and a new study backs up the claim. Although there is
plenty of anecdotal evidence linking pet ownership to better
socialization in children with autism, the study is among the
first to explore the connection. Researchers in France tested
behavior and intelligence in 260 children with autism who did
and did not have pets -- mostly dogs and cats. They found that
those who became pet owners after the age of 5 performed better
than children without pets on two key measures of social
functioning -- offering comfort and offering