Sunday, 14 March 2010

• Service Cats for those with Autism and Aspergers

  Samuel, a 14-year-old Aspie, is training service cats for autists and Aspies. He's preparing them to, among other things, notice when the owner is slipping back into compulsive or repetitive behavior and interrupt it, soothe an owner feeling anxious or even starting to have a meltdown, help an owner navigate social situations and carry tags letting others know the owner's name and neurological situation (and in the case of a young owner perhaps the name and phone number of a parent).
  
  Cats, being smaller than dogs, may be perceived as less threatening by their owners and others. Also, cats may be both physically and emotionally (especially for autists and Aspies who needs lots of alone time) lower-maintenance creatures than dogs. 
  
  These cats were strays before he found them, meaning that he (and their future owners) may also be saving their lives.
  
  Keep up the good work, Samuel!
  
  (I'm only sorry I wasn't able to talk with Samuel himself. I received no response to an email I sent to the address on his site.)
  
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  Do you prefer dogs or cats?
  
  
  

  • 11:50 PM
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