Guineapigs And Autism ?

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Gpigwheeklyuk

Gpigwheeklyuk

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Hello everyone!

My name is katie and I don't always get to post in the guineapig forum as much as I would like to as I've been super busy balancing my day jobs and running my guineapig wheekly uk shop. Anyway I wanted to make a post to reach out to anyone who can relate to the topic of guineapigs and having or knowing a relative with autism /being on the spectrum. You see I have a younger sister whom is the reason I actually fell in love with piggies to begin with and in 2014 we found out she is in fact on the spectrum with aspergers syndrome. I recently noticed an article expressing how guinea pigs are actually beneficial for people with autism in terms of helping them with anxieties and dealing with social situations better, it interested me so much so I'd love to write an article on it for my website.

I wondered if anyone else here who can relate to the healing benefits of guineapigs and the autistic spectrum? It would be amazing to hear anyone elses input on this as if you've experienced living with someone on the spectrum it can be very hard, everyday is a challenge but somehow the guineapigs bring my sister out of herself in ways nothing else has ever done. Look forward to wheeking with you all!

Lots of love and guineapig kisses,

Katie x
 
hiya! It'll be interesting to hear what people's experiences are with this. One of my sons is ASD. He is coming up 18 now and doesn't seem to be particularly closely involved with any of our animals (pigs, cat and dog) BUT i think that is because he is not used to handling the pigs. He does enjoy watching them and i was surprised to see he was quite alarmed when we recently lost a beloved pig.

I can definitely see how pigs could really help someone like my son though as he is really placid, very calm (he has associated learning difficulties) i think if they were in his bedroom, he would build a bond but they reside in my kitchen so he doesn't spend enough time.
 
tabelmabel said:
hiya! It'll be interesting to hear what people's experiences are with this. One of my sons is ASD. He is coming up 18 now and doesn't seem to be particularly closely involved with any of our animals (pigs, cat and dog) BUT i think that is because he is not used to handling the pigs. He does enjoy watching them and i was surprised to see he was quite alarmed when we recently lost a beloved pig.

I can definitely see how pigs could really help someone like my son though as he is really placid, very calm (he has associated learning difficulties) i think if they were in his bedroom, he would build a bond but they reside in my kitchen so he doesn't spend enough time.
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Hello there :)

Thank you for taking the time for reply to me. I think it is to do with the bond really, I've found with my sister's guineapigs being in a 8 x 10 tailored shed for them her bond has suffered a little in comparison to when they were in her bedroom in a conteboard homemade cage. You'll find he is actually emotionally attached to certain things such as the pigs, but he just finds it hard to show it.

Katie x
 
absolutely right. I think he does attach to our pets just as closely as much as the others, he just doesn't show it. He is a gentle soul and very caring and patient.
 
tabelmabel said:
absolutely right. I think he does attach to our pets just as closely as much as the others, he just doesn't show it. He is a gentle soul and very caring and patient.
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yep that's how my sister is, although i tend to find she'd bend over backwards for her piggies vs people at times lol She wouldn't hurt a fly and her piggies life the high life to say the least.
 
I have mild aspergers and suffer from PTSD and I've found having the pigs really helps with this. Their cage is in my bedroom (a 6x6 c and c cage which takes up most of my room :doh:) so I find I've got a really close bond with them. They won't really go to anyone else but me, not willingly anyway. I think they really help to relax and calm me down, and I'm very very attached to them. I find it much easier and far less stressful to be in their company than in the company with people a lot of the time. The down side though is that there are times where I put the pigs before anyone else and forget other people exist because I can get quite fixated on them..
 
Beans&Toast said:
I have mild aspergers and suffer from PTSD and I've found having the pigs really helps with this. Their cage is in my bedroom (a 6x6 c and c cage which takes up most of my room :doh:) so I find I've got a really close bond with them. They won't really go to anyone else but me, not willingly anyway. I think they really help to relax and calm me down, and I'm very very attached to them. I find it much easier and far less stressful to be in their company than in the company with people a lot of the time. The down side though is that there are times where I put the pigs before anyone else and forget other people exist because I can get quite fixated on them..
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Hello there beans & toast!

thanks for commenting a lot of what you said makes a lot of sense and sounds familiar. I have found since my sisters guinea pigs have a £800 *mansion*shed of their own outside , her bond with them isn't what it was when they were in her room. She's really inclined to spend her money on her pets putting them first before people , however sometimes if something has swayed her special interest she can not juggle her responsibilities well at all.
 
Wigwig said:
Oh there is an article about how guinea pigs help with autism

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/29/guinea-pigs-are-autistic-childs-best-friend/?_r=3

Also, my dad is rather emotionally distant and often grumpy, but he is nuts about archie, and a cuddle with archie puts my dad in a good mood for the next 24 hours at least. We say he gets archie withdrawl symptoms if he cant have a cuddle.
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hello there wigwig!
Thanks for sending the link over to the article its super helpful thank you! I think sometimes emotionally distant people just don't always know how to react to certain situations or instances . Unless its demonstrated or learned from I think alot of people have a hard time knowing how to react, but it sounds like your dad has quite the soft spot for piggies :D
 
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