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HARRISBURG, Mo. (AP) — Eli Miller has 15 pets at home, including turtles and a sugar glider. But his black Labrador Retriever, Faith, has a special place in his heart.
Faith is Miller's service dog and, perhaps more important, his friend and companion. Miller, 20, has Asperger's syndrome, and the dog has been a source of both comfort and calm. He has trained her to relieve his anxiety, especially in stimulating social situations.
"Faith has made the world around me more accessible by allowing me to only focus on what I need to, and not everything in the room," he said.
As Miller can attest, pets are likely to improve the social skills in children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder, as a number of studies have suggested. A 2013 study in Brisbane, Australia, observed that autistic children playing with guinea pigs were more likely to talk and look at their classmates than when playing with toys.
A recent MU study by Gretchen Carlisle, a post-doctoral fellow at the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction, further substantiates this theory. Her research indicates that any companion animal can be beneficial to a child with autism.
The study, "Pet Dog Ownership Decisions for Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder," was published last year in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, the Columbia Missourian (http://bit.ly/1GiVf7P ) reports.
Using telephone interviews, Carlisle surveyed 70 families of children with autism who are patients at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Columbia, a national leader in autism studies.
Study participants were ages 8 to 18, did not have substantial cognitive delays, and had IQs above 70. Almost 70 percent of them owned dogs, while about half owned cats. Other pets included farm animals, fish, rabbits, reptiles, rodents, a bird and even a spider.
Carlisle used the Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scale when asking parents to assess a child's social skills in relation to the pet at home. The scale is widely used in scientific research of this kind and focuses on seven categories: communication, cooperation, responsibility, empathy, engagement, self-control and assertion.
Her study concluded that the social skills of children with autism — particularly in the area of assertion — increased over time when there was a companion animal present, while problem behaviors decreased.
It was a broader conclusion than she expected, and it was actually triggered by a conversation with one of the girls in the study.
"When I finished asking her questions about her dog, I said, 'Do you have any questions for me?' and her response was, 'Yes, why haven't you asked me about my cat?'
"Her comment was really the a-ha moment," Carlisle said.
Carlisle, who received her doctorate in nursing at MU, first noticed the correlation between autistic children and pets when she and her daughters became involved with 4-H, the nation's largest youth development program. 4-H members often participate in activities that promote leadership and social skills, including projects with animals.
A few of the children she worked with in 4-H were autistic, and they had dogs. Observing them with their pets, she saw how the connection could work wonders.
"I saw a young lady was having some difficulty, and when she joined the dog project, her entire personality just blossomed," Carlisle said.
As a school nurse, she also came in contact with autistic students who came to her office for medication.
"At the same time, I was working at 4-H, and I thought, my goodness, what if you handed the child a leash and said 'Take Fluffy to the office," she said.
"My theory was that the kids would do it. This could really help."
Through her studies she has discovered that any kind of pet in the home will strengthen the social skills of a child with autism.
Micah Mazurek, another researcher at the Thompson Center, hopes to elaborate on Carlisle's study to help answer these questions: Does having a pet improve social skills, or do children who have better social skills become more interested in animals?
"Dr. Carlisle found the correlation between pet ownership and some aspects of social skills," Mazurek said. "But we're a little bit cautious to interpret what that means."
Those close to Eli Miller, including his mother, Debbie, have noticed that interaction with Faith decreases his anxiety level and fosters ease in social situations.
With Faith, "he really hit the jackpot," his mother said.
Before he acquired his Lab, Miller said he faced challenges both in school and daily life because of a fine motor dysfunction.
"When I was in kindergarten I had a hard time learning to write," he recalled. "I couldn't push down hard enough for the pen or pencil to leave a mark ... I would have to do writing assignments many times."
He has outgrown or overcome some of the issues, though he says when he was in elementary school, "they were a nightmare."
Although a few of those challenges are still present, his main issue is anxiety-induced panic attacks. He said Faith puts him at more ease, especially in social situations with a lot of stimulation, which can cause anxiety and make it difficult for him to focus.
"She'll draw my attention away from the humming fluorescent light or that person's pants across the room that are making noise as they walk," he said.
Miller became interested in service dog training through a contact at the Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center in Columbia.
Soon after meeting a certified trainer there, he adopted 2-year-old Faith and began teaching her using purely positive incentives. This method rewards a dog if it even hints at understanding the command.
"I tend to break my training with Faith down to the most basic points," Miller said. "If Faith shows any inkling of knowing what I want, I treat her."
He demonstrates with the command "snuggle," which Faith performs when she senses a panic attack coming on. The Lab puts her paws on his lap and pushes her wet nose close to his.
"Deep pressure is something for me that really helps to calm down," he said. "When I was looking for a dog, something on the larger side was what I wanted. So I'm glad that I have a Lab."
Their relationship illustrates the results of Carlisle's research.
"The best part of having Faith is that I know that she always has my back," Miller said.
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Information from: Columbia Missourian, http://www.columbiamissourian.com
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