All Cats Are on the Autism Spectrum

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I pray that my readers will see past the finer details of disagreement and join with me in celebrating, and growing in understanding of, the richness and diversity of the autistic community. Karsh EB. The effects of early and late handling on the attachment of cats to people. In: Anderson RK, Hart BL, Hart LA, editors. The Pet Connection. St. Paul, MN: Globe Press (1983). p. 207–15. Here's a delightful book explaining the traits of Asperger's Syndrome, with short, simple text over illustrative and cute pics of kittens and cats. It's obviously aimed at children but it wouldn't be a bad first place to start learning as an adult and it only takes a few minutes to read cover to cover. The idea probably came from the quote "Cats are autistic dogs," which is quite apt... The descriptions of autism are astute, humorous and encouraging for the autistic person and their family.’ My main complaint is that it doesn't take into account differences between different individuals with Aspergers. It over generalizes. For instance it states he doesn't want loved ones to hold him. That may be true for some individuals, but their are many children with AS who really really love to be held, who are actually clingier than most children.

Expecting that a cat would be affectionate with a child may pose particular challenges, since cats were found by Mertens ( 12) to prefer adults to young children, in terms of approaches and duration of proximity. Cats in families preferred adult women, with whom they reportedly had their most reciprocal relationships. These findings raise a possibility that predicting the interactions of cats with children may be more challenging. Although dogs have the capacity to perform useful tasks and are more interactive with people than cats, they require more attention and care, and some parents reportedly find their ASD child is more compatible with a cat, or that a dog simply would not be a feasible companion for their child ( 2). In some other contexts, cats have been found to be a better lifestyle fit. For example, people with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), who have cats are reported to enjoy their cats, find them comforting, and are spared concerns of many dog owners who are expected to fulfill their dogs’ needs for exercise and being taken outdoors for elimination ( 8). Middle-aged women who were caregivers at home for an elderly family member with Alzheimer’s disease reported that, for them, a cat was a more compatible and satisfying pet than a dog ( 9). Having had cats was even found in one study to be associated with fewer deaths from heart disease than having had a dog or no pets ( 10).Walther S, Yamamoto M, Thigpen AP, Garcia A, Willits NH, Hart LA. Assistance dogs: historic patterns and roles of dogs placed by ADI or IGDF accredited facilities and by non-accredited U.S. facilities. Front Vet Sci (2017) 4:1. doi:10.3389/fvets.2017.00001 Kathy Hoopmann's newest edition of All Cats Are on the Autism Spectrum will bring lots of smiles and autism awareness information to readers of every age.

Touching, humorous and insightful, this book evokes the difficulties and joys of raising a child who is different and leaves the reader with a sense of the dignity, individuality, and potential of people with AS. Grandgeorge M, Tordjman S, Lazartigues A, Lemonnier E, Deleau M, Hausberger M. Does pet arrival trigger prosocial behaviors in individuals with autism? PLoS One (2012) 7:8. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041739 Much has happened in the field of autism since 2006, and Kathy has gently and with great care updated the book and adapted it to the societal development, which naturally affects our understanding of and approach to autism. One of the important changes is that the book is now gender neutral, as it has been increasingly recognized that autism is not gendered. The language has also been adapted to today’s social understanding and recognition of diversity. In my translation, I have had a lot of focus on the fact that this is also reflected in the Danish version.It was clear that the specified cats varied considerably in behavior. The study has revealed the importance of having a cat that is inherently low in aggression, socially outgoing, and affectionate as a family companion for a child with ASD or that is typically developing. One such resource that explores purebreds and domestic shorthair and longhair cats in this regard has rated the breeds on scales for these traits ( 11). A study where adult cat owners rated personality attributes of their cats also suggests the importance of careful pet selection. Six personality dimensions were identified, and one of these, amiability, was strongly correlated with the respondent’s satisfaction with the cat and the bond quality, and the extent to which the cat was not perceived as troublesome ( 19). Active selection for an affectionate cat could improve the chances of a calming rewarding relationship of cat and child. Melson GF. Studying children’s attachment to their pets: a conceptual and methodological review. Anthrozoos (1990) 4:91–9. doi:10.2752/089279391787057297 of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, SC, United States Of the specified cats that interacted with the specified child the most, the median age range was 4–6 years. Male neutered (42%) and female spayed (42%) accounted for most specified cats. A majority of the cats (52%) were domestic shorthair. The Cat’s General Behavior with the ASD Child and Typical Children

Okay, I did not know what to make of this book when I saw it on the table at a recent book sale, but cat lover that I am, how could I pass it up for 50 cents? As described in the Statistical Methods, a PCA was run on all responses that pertained to the quality or depth of the relationship between the autistic child and the specified cat. The child’s gender and the cat’s gender, intact status, and breed first were found to be insignificant factors. The first principal component summarized this information, with positive factor loadings for all positive cat/child interactions, except for “aggression toward child,” which had a negative factor loading. Thus, high values of the first principal component indicated a positive/deep relationship, and low values indicated a poor/shallow relationship.

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Bennett PC, Rutter NJ, Woodhead JK, Howell TJ. Assessment of domestic cat personality, as perceived by 416 owners, suggests six dimensions. Behav Processes (2017) 141(Pt 3):273–83. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2017.02.020 The survey was of 64 families with an ASD child and a specified cat, so as to characterize the relationships of the child and the family with the specified cat as described by an adult family member. When families had multiple cats, the parent responded concerning a specified cat that was most interactive with the child. Most children resided in households that included several family members and animals. Adorable! The kitten pictures are beyond sweet and funny. It does prove that cats have Asperger's, and so does my husband LOL.