When you’re the parent of a child who’s on the autism spectrum, you can often have a different set of priorities than other parents. One thing that most parents do tend to have in common, though, is continually wanting to provide the best for their children, and often included in that is having a family dog to help bring even more love into their world.
For parents who have a child with autism, it can depend on their individual needs, but most of the time there are a ton of positives involved in bringing a dog into your home.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of having a dog in your home when you have a child on the spectrum.
Dogs can help calm their anxieties during nervous moments.
It’s no secret that dogs tend to have a calming presence for everyone from tiny babies to seniors, but dogs can have a positive impact on children with autism as well.
There could be certain social situations that act as triggers for them, or they might have a difficult time when entering into unfamiliar territory, whether that be at school or even at home. If you have a dog in the house who can provide a comforting presence during those unsure moments, it can help give the child someone nurturing and full of love to concentrate on during a particularly unnerving time period.
Dogs can help a child on the spectrum learn to care for something and build relationships.
Another of the many special things to value about our favorite four-legged friends is how they are filled with unconditional love.
There are some children and teenagers on the spectrum who may not have the most developed verbal communication skills. Dogs do all of their communication with humans without ever speaking a word, so they may be able to aid children with autism to build a unique connection with another living and breathing creature that doesn’t involve verbal cues. It’s actually incredible what can be communicated without ever speaking a word between a dog and a human.
Plus, if the child is someone who really needs a routine and to stick to it, you can always incorporate tasks involving the dog, like giving them food at mealtime or even taking the dog for a walk once a day.
Dogs offer a calming presence during meltdowns.
Going even further beyond those anxiety-ridden moments, there may be times when a child on the autism spectrum experiences what’s often referred to as a meltdown. These may involve emotional outbursts or repeated physical behaviors, such as pacing or rocking.
If you have a child with autism who finds comfort in the family dog and they’ve formed a strong emotional bond, their mere presence can help deescalate some meltdowns and bring things down to a more neutral level.
