Animal BFFs: Pets help kids with special needs

For years, anxiety kept Zach Tucker from getting to sleep. As the Colorado Springs sixth-grader remembers, his voice shakes and he shields his eyes. Zach's discomfort is Clyde's cue. The chocolate Labrador springs to Zach's side, nudging the boy with his paws. Zach's voice calms, and he drops his hand to his devoted dog.

"That's Clyde at work," says Zach's mother, Susy Tucker.

Smart, but suffering from social anxiety, Zach was 8 when doctors diagnosed him with high-functioning autism. Tucker sought animals to draw Zach out of his shell. A series of pets — a guinea pig, a rat and untrained dogs — followed, but they had little success. Then came Clyde.

"He's never had an anxiety night since," Tucker says. For Zach, this specially trained Labrador was the perfect fit. Clyde eases Zach's social fears and helps him function in a world that sometimes seems overwhelming.

While Clyde, trained as an advanced assistance dog by prisoners at the Colorado Correctional Industries K-9 Companion Program, is the right companion for Zach, experts say service dogs aren't the only animals that help children with special needs.

According to a recent University of Missouri study, autistic children form attachments to a variety of small pets — dogs, cats, even rabbits — and those with pets may develop stronger social and communication skills.

It's about unconditional love, says Gretchen Carlisle, a fellow at the University of Missouri's Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction.

Researchers surveyed 70 parents of children ages 8 to 18 with autism. They found that having any kind of pet at home may increase a child's assertiveness in social situations and their ability to make introductions and ask questions. Carlisle, the study's author, says parents linked dog ownership to responsibility, companionship and stress relief.

But, says Carlisle, "it wasn't pet dogs alone."

Some parents reported their children had strong attachments to rabbits and cats. Cats are quieter and preferred by some children with sensory issues such as sensitivity to barks or smells. Rabbits are good for children who bond with more contained pets and want to sit quietly with them.

Sensory issues are key when selecting a pet for an autistic child, says Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University who is renowned for her work in creating humane conditions for livestock.

"(It's) not one size fits all," says Grandin, who is autistic. Every autistic child is different, and autism cases fall into a wide spectrum.

Making the right match

Pets can help children with a wide range of conditions and disabilities. At a small ranch in Lakewood, Colo., Linda Chassman, co-founder and executive director of Animal Assisted Therapy Programs of Colorado, is finding creative ways for clients to learn from animals.

"Pets can help children deal with their frustrations," Chassman says. "Pets can be frustrating, and sometimes therapy involves a frustrating animal, and so they learn to cope."

Chassman has a menagerie of animals used to help kids cope. The dogs are therapy dogs, not service animals, which are working dogs, not pets, that are specially trained to perform tasks to help handlers with a disability.

Her other animal assistants — a cat, rats, horses, goats and rabbits — have no special training. They offer comfort and affection through qualities like playfulness, soft fur, a relaxing purr.

Therapy rats Sugar, Spice and Ethel are popular — more so with children than with parents. Children with post-traumatic stress disorder and Tourette syndrome often connect with Clementine, a gentle but jumpy rescue cat.

And stuffed animals can act as substitutes to test a child's readiness for a pet. If their reaction to the proxy is impulsive or aggressive, it's not the right time. But if a child is drawn to a stuffed horse, for example, the next step might be observing Chassman's horse, Cody. Eventually, that child might work up to hugging the big horse.

Find a friend

• Prison dog programs are growing across the country. For many families, the cost of training a service dog is prohibitive. Colorado Correctional Industries charges a relatively inexpensive $550 adoption fee for each dog.

• The American Kennel Club Rescue Network is the largest network of dog rescue groups, with more than 450 across the country. AKC's national breed clubs spearhead the bulk of these rescue groups that rehabilitate, foster and ultimately re-home the dogs.

• AKC's Canine Good Citizen program stresses good manners for dogs and responsibility for owners. Since all therapy dogs need to be under control and have basic training, many groups require the dog pass the Canine Good Citizen test before noving into therapy.