MedicationsSupplements and Vitamins home > neurology center > neurology a-z list > animals may ease social anxiety in autism children article

smallermediumlargerAnimals May Ease Social Anxiety in Children With AutismAutism Slideshow PicturesTake the Autism QuizLatest Neurology NewsQuadriplegic Uses Thoughts to Control Robotic ArmsAnimals May Ease Social Anxiety in Autism ChildrenRugby Player Head Injuries Linked to Brain DeclineDepression Tied to Some Risk of Parkinson'sSerious Concussions Linked to Memory ProblemsWant More News? Sign Up for MedicineNet Newsletters!

FRIDAY, May 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Being around animals may help reduce social anxiety in children with autism, new research suggests.

The findings could lead to new treatment approaches that use pets such as dogs, cats and guinea pigs to help children with autism improve their social skills and interactions with other people, the researchers said.

The study included 38 children with autism and 76 children without the disorder. All of the children wore special wrist devices designed to detect anxiety and other responses to social situations.

The children first read a book by themselves. Then, they read a book to two other children and then had 10 minutes of group play. After that, the children were given 10 minutes of supervised play with guinea pigs. Researchers chose guinea pigs because of their small size and gentle nature.

Compared to other children, those with autism had higher levels of anxiety when reading silently, reading aloud and during group play. However, the youngsters with autism had a significant drop in anxiety levels during the session with the guinea pig.

This could be because pets offer unqualified acceptance and make children with autism feel more secure, according to Marguerite O'Haire, from the Center for the Human-Animal Bond in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and colleagues.

The study was published online recently in the journal Developmental Psychobiology. The research was partly funded by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

"Previous studies suggest that in the presence of companion animals, children with autism spectrum disorders function better socially," James Griffin, of the NICHD's Child Development and Behavior Branch, said in an agency news release. "This study provides physiological evidence that the proximity of animals eases the stress that children with autism may experience in social situations."

However, the findings do not mean that parents of children with autism should get a pet for their children, O'Haire said. Further research is needed to learn how animals might be used in programs to help children with autism develop social skills, she said.

-- Robert Preidt
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.SOURCES: U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, news release, May 20, 2015

News Articles12345Next Article: Rugby Player Head Injuries Linked to Brain Decline »

#articleInArticle, #TOCcontainer { clear: right; } #share_tools { margin: 15px 0 10px; padding: 0; display: none; border-left: #B2CA80 5px solid; border-radius: 2px 2px 2px 2px;clear: both; } #share_tools .links { padding: 0 5px; } #share_tools p.share_header { color: #6e8739; margin: 0 0 7px 10px; font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; text-transform: uppercase; } #share_tools a { float: left; display: inline; margin: 0 10px 0 0; width: auto; color: #444; padding: 3px; font-size: 10px; text-transform: uppercase; line-height: 16px; text-decoration: none; } #share_tools a.facebook i { background:url(http://www.medicinenet.com/images/socialmedia/facebook.png) no-repeat; } #share_tools a.twitter i { background:url(http://www.medicinenet.com/images/socialmedia/twitter.png) no-repeat; } #share_tools a.print i { background:url(http://www.medicinenet.com/images/socialmedia/print.png) no-repeat; } #share_tools a.email i { background:url(http://www.medicinenet.com/images/socialmedia/email.png) no-repeat; } #share_tools a i { float: left; margin-right: 5px; width: 16px; line-height: 16px; height: 16px; vertical-align: middle; } Share this Article:

Facebook Twitter Email Print Article #nl_module_1 { font-size: 13px; height: 149px; width: 445px; padding: 10px; font-family: Arial; background-color: #D2E2B3; -moz-border-radius: 2px 2px 2px 2px; border-radius: 2px 2px 2px 2px;}#nl_module_1 h4 { color: #6F9B40; font-size: 26px; margin: 0 7px 0 0; font-weight: bold; float: left; }#nl_module_1 p.subhead { color: #3c471f; font-size: 11px; line-height: 15px; }#nl_module_1 p { font-size: 11px; margin: 0 0 5px 0; margin: 0 0 3px 0 \9; }#nl_module_1 .privacy { font-size: 9px; float: right; }p.moretopics { font-style: italic; font-size: 11px; margin: 6px 0 0 0; }STAY INFORMEDGet the latest health and medical information delivered direct to your inbox!

Featured on MedicineNet Childhood ADHD Symptoms Habits That Wreck Your Teeth Multiple Sclerosis Slideshow Make You Gotta Go Foods Rheumatoid Arthritis Pictures Atrial Fibrillation Slideshow Neurology Topics Migraine Headache MS Symptoms CAM for MS Symptoms Early Alzheimer's Symptoms MS Symptoms & Treatments Neurology RSS Healthy Living Tips Daily Health News UTIs and Bladder Cancer$5 Insanity Flakka Drug Quadriplegic Controls Arms Coffee Prevents ImpotencePain Meds in Pregnancy Health News Feed Newsletter Signup STAY INFORMEDGet the Latest health and medical information delivered direct to your inbox!RxListPill Identifier

Quick and easy pill identification

Use Pill FinderFind a Pharmacy

Includes 24 hour locations!

Find it Now Drug Interaction Checker

See potential drug interactions

Check Interactions
From WebMD Parenting/Baby Resources6 Tips for Getting an ADHD Child to EatYour Guide to a Healthy BabyAutism Diagnosis? How to Pay for CareFeatured CentersHow Well Are You Living With AFib?Could Stress Be Making Your MS Worse?Ready to Stop Smoking?Health Solutions From Our Sponsors Frequent Constipation? ExclusivesWhat Does Psoriasis Look Like?

How to Prevent Muscle Cramps

Blood Clot? Know the Signs and Symptoms

Allergy Triggers: Do You Know Yours?

#sp_ft_rdr h3 {font-size: 200%;} Health Solutions From Our Sponsors Feeding a Growing WorldAllergy ReliefLactose Intolerant?IBS-C Symptoms?COPD and Alpha-1Care for Aortic Stenosis?Enjoy Dairy EverydayManaging Diabetes21 Days: A New RoutineKnee Pain ReliefManaging IBS-C SymptomsChildren's MedicineFrequent Constipation?Aortic Valve Stenosis?Greater Food Accessibility Health Categories:Slideshow PicturesDiseases & ConditionsSymptoms & SignsProcedures & TestsMedicationsHealthy LivingVitamins & SupplementsImage CollectionQuizzesMedTerms DictionaryPet HealthPopular Health Centers:AllergiesArthritisBlood PressureCancerChronic PainCold & FluDepressionDiabetesDigestionHealth & LivingHealthy KidsHearing & EarHeartHIV/AIDSInfectious DiseaseMen's HealthMental HealthNeurologyPregnancySexual HealthSkinThyroidWomen's Health More...MedicineNet:Privacy PolicyContact UsSite MapWebMD CorporateWebMDMedscapeMedscape ReferenceeMedicineHealthRxListBootsWebMDMedscape FranceMedscape Germany Follow Us On:FacebookTwitterGoogle+RSSAd Choices ©1996-2015 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved.Terms of Use.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.See additional information..continue{text-decoration:none!important;font-weight:700;white-space:nowrap}

An increasing share of highly educated women in the US are having children and bigger families, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data.
The study reports that childlessness among highly educated women is down 30% from 1994.

Childlessness among women into their 40s with an MD or PhD has fallen significantly over the last two decades.

Presently, around 22% of women aged 40-44 with a master's degree (or higher) are childless - down 30% from 1994. In those women with an MD or PhD the decline is even more dramatic falling from 35% of women without children in 1994 to 20% today.

In addition to being more likely that highly educated women will have children, the research finds that they are also having bigger families.

Six in 10 women with a master's degree have had two or more children - up from 51% in 1994. The share with two children has risen 4 percentage points, while the share with three or more has risen 6 percentage points.

Gretchen Livingston, Senior Researcher of the report "Childlessness falls, family size grows among highly educated women" writes:

"This trend has likely been driven by demographic and societal changes. It coincides with women's growing presence in managerial and leadership positions and suggests that an increasing share of professional women are confronting the inevitable push and pull of work-family balance."

Previous research by the Pew Research Center has indicated that overall women devote fewer hours to paid work with each additional child they have. The report found that on average, a working-age woman with no children spends 27 hours per week in paid work, while a woman with three or more children spends 18 hours working.

Moreover, working mothers are suggested to be more than three times as likely as working fathers to reveal that being a working parent has made advancing their career more difficult.

Childlessness among all women ages 40-44 in the US is at its lowest point in a decade, which is likely fueled in part by the increase in motherhood among highly educated women. The average number of children that US women have in their lifetime has remained stable over the past 20 years, at about two children.

Currently around 35% of all women between 40-44 have two children, while just 12% have four or more. Simultaneously, one-child families have gained ground, with 18% of women having an only child at the end of their childbearing years, up from 10% in 1976. About 20% of women have three children, a number that has remained virtually unchanged.

Educational 'gaps' in childlessness and family size persist

Other key findings from the report focus on fertility trends, educational "gaps" in childlessness and family size and race.

Fertility trends among highly educated women show a clear pattern of decreased childlessness and bigger families. However, childlessness has decreased among women without a high school diploma and among women with a bachelor's degree, but family size has remained unchanged.

Although educational "gaps" in childlessness and family size have narrowed over 20 years, they still persist.

The higher the education a woman has, up to a bachelor's degree, the less likely she is to become a mother. Additionally, mothers with more education have fewer children than those with less education. Just 13% of moms lacking a high school diploma have one child, while 26% have four or more. Among mothers with a master's degree or higher, 23% have one child and just 8% have four or more.

Fertility patterns differ significantly by race and ethnicity. Among women aged 40-44 who are childless:

17% are white15% are black13% are Asian10% are Hispanic.

Hispanic and black mothers ages 40-44 are particularly likely to have larger families. About 20% of Hispanic mothers have four or more children, as do 18% of black mothers.

In comparison, just 11% of white mothers have four or more children, as do 10% of Asian mothers. Since 1988, there has been a dramatic decline in the share of mothers with four or more children among Hispanics, blacks and whites.

Medical News Today recently reported on a new study that finds that small differences in family income are associated with relatively large surface area differences in important brain regions among children in these families.

Written by Hannah Nichols