Our mission at Pets in the Classroom is to enhance students’ educational and personal development through interaction with pets in their classrooms. This happens in many different ways, but since April is World Autism Month/Autism Acceptance Month, we want to highlight some of the ways that classroom pets can enhance the education and personal development of students with autism.
The bond between kids and pets is a powerful thing. The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), a non-profit research and education organization that gathers, funds and shares scientific research to demonstrate the positive health impacts of companion animals, refers to numerous studies on their website that indicate that human-animal interaction can benefit children with autism. Two studies specifically indicate that interacting with small animals in the classroom benefits children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The results of the 8-week study, Social behaviors increase in children with autism in the presence of animals compared to toys, showed that the 64 children with ASD in 41 classrooms with guinea pigs demonstrated an increased display of social behaviors (talking, making physical contact, looking at faces) and improved positive social behaviors (becoming more receptive to social advances from peers). The study concluded that animal-assisted interventions in classroom settings may be a feasible way to engage and improve the social functioning of children with ASD.
Another study, Guinea pigs-The “Small Great” Therapist for Autistic Children, or: Do Guinea Pigs Have Positive Effects on Autistic Child Social Behavior?, observed the presence of guinea pigs in a classroom for children with ASD. The results of the study indicate that small animals in the classroom can positively influence the quantity and quality of social behavior of students with autism.
While the research cited by HABRI provides wonderful insight into the benefits that come from human-animal interaction, it is the stories that have been shared by teachers that truly warm one’s heart:
Our class pet guinea pig, Gibson, has really been a comfort for my students with anxiety. I teach 3rd and 4th graders with autism and he has helped them become brave enough to approach classmates in social situations, as well as decrease the intensity of anxiety attacks. Gibson has been a great motivational tool for students during online learning due to COVID-19 school closures. He appears in lessons and I post a daily photo of him doing something wild (with the use of a green screen). The kids look forward to it and the parents have given great feedback. Thank you!
Many of my students have been more engaged in lessons and in behaviors (I teach students with autism). I have also had students that are scared of animals now willing to pet Squeaks (our guinea pig).
I teach K3 Special education. I have children on the autism spectrum who are non-verbal, but they love to watch the fish swim and they will say ‘fish.’ Not only do the students in my class like the fish, the other students in the school also love the fish. There are times where we have to close our class door as it becomes a distraction with the other students looking at the fish.
I had a student that rarely would speak. He was Autistic and had communication difficulties. However, one day after this student had been absent for a few days, he walks over to Teddy, our hamster, and says “Hey, dude how ya been doing?” I was shocked by this and pretended not to notice. The one sided conversation continued. For the remainder of the year, I would ask the student to tell Teddy his answer and it worked every time. Thank you so much for making a difference in my classroom.
To learn more about the Pets in the Classroom grant program and the ways we support teachers in maintaining classroom pets, please visit www.dbf9eaf4ed.nxcli.io.
