Your children and pets?
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Your children and pets?
| Thu, 01-25-2007 - 10:59pm |
How do you children get along with your pets (if you have any)?
Henry has never been great with our dogs, but they were kinda old when he was born. He can be very helpful with things like getting their dogfood and

Dottie is better with Isaac than Isaac is with Dottie.
In some ways they are great and in some ways they are not so great. (The ASD ones anyway) and that is even Cait.
They just don't have the perspective taking to understand how another being feels and if that being can't communicate like a pet, then it can be tough. My kids (particualrly Cait) LOVES animals but had to be taught how to be with them.
For instance, it was probably only a year ago that they decided to see what would happen if they screamed in the top of thier voice into the cats ears over and over again. They weren't trying to be mean but they just didn't understand until I explained that this would hurt the cat.
Mike loves little dogs but it took along time to teach him how to hold, call and play with my moms dog before he could do it well and I still monitor him just in case. He isn't that interested in my big dogs. He likes smaller animals more. He doesn't dislike the big dogs, just no interest.
Basically it is kind of like when they are with smaller children. They just need to be watched more closely than typical children and taught behavior specifically because they don't have the same filters, problem solving ability, and social understanding that comes naturally to NT people.
Renee
It takes a lot of work. My kids love animals, but as Renee said, they cannot see things from the animal's point of view.
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