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There are many accounts of autistic individuals about their unique bonds with animals. For example, a very well-known autistic animal scientist, Temple Grandin, has described how her visual thinking has helped her to have a good understanding of how animals experience the world. Her gift of understanding animals led her to design well-regarded livestock handling systems. Liane Holliday-Willey is another autistic woman who has shared her love for horses in her autobiography, Pretending to be Normal. Because of our mutual love for horses, I remember how excited I was to talk with her during a conference once in Boston.
There are quite a few academic papers on animal-assisted therapies and interventions for autism. While there are still many controversies around therapies and interventions for autism, I personally do not support the idea of interventions because they aim to “normalize” the behaviors of autistic individuals so they become more like their non-autistic peers. Nonetheless, much research on animal-assisted therapies and interventions also speaks for the unique bond some autistic people have with animals.
I also love animals, particularly my dogs, Sky (now in heaven) and Levi [leh-vi] (as in the beautiful Finnish city), and horses. Growing up, I had a range of different pets (e.g., turtle, beetle, hamsters, crayfish, ants, fish). It is safe to say that apart from hamsters I caught them in the river, sea, or just outside! Nonetheless, for most of my childhood, I grew up with my dear Sky, a miniature dachshund. I used to go to a local ranch just to spend time with horses and sometimes ride. Now, Levi who is a miniature schnauzer is always by my side and enables me to do things such as walking outside and online meetings without anxiety when I am with her. Nonetheless, there are many places I wish she is allowed to go with me. There are so many circumstances where I wish Levi was allowed to be with me so I could be more at ease. For example, taking public transportations (e.g., train, plane) is very stressful. It always involves a plethora of unpredicted circumstances and sensory overwhelming environments.
There are some organizations that train autism-assistant dogs (e.g., Dogs for Autism in the UK). Aren’t they wonderful? I hope autism-assistant dogs will be more widely and internationally recognized someday. If Levi were my assistant dog, I could go to public places (e.g., supermarket, café) and see other people without anxiety (e.g., formal meetings, church). P.s. If you are a dog trainer and think you could help Levi to be my autism-assistant dog, let me know!!