Some of the photographs are also funny. If you can’t laugh, you’re going to go mad; it is an antidote to dark times. This book provides exactly that. All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome takes a playful look at Asperger Syndrome (AS), drawing inspiration from the feline world in a way that will strike a chord with all those who are familiar with AS. There is a great deal of truth in humour. If you have only just begun to discover why someone with Asperger's syndrome is different, this book will inform and entertain you. The descriptions provide an accurate balance between the qualities and difficulties associated with Asperger's syndrome, while the photographs will make the journey of discovery enjoyable and remarkable.' In addition, all specified cats were relatively low in aggression, with 47% never being aggressive to the specified child. And 47% of cats also were never aggressive to adults, but only 25% of specified cats were never aggressive to another child in the household. Mirroring the affection results, this leads to the assumption that these cats were more likely to be attached, affectionate, and non-aggressive to the ASD child and often preferred the specified child rather than adults or other children in the household. Cat’s Behavior Affecting the Child–Cat Relationship Most parents of ASD children reported affectionate behavior to the children by the cat. The positive interactions of cats with ASD children revealed that cats can provide an avenue of positive relationships. When there were limitations in the relationships, these usually appeared to be from the cats’ unwillingness to be affectionate rather than the child being disinterested.

Smiles from the book’s feline friends were contagious within my house; my mom and dad shared the magic of cats on the autism spectrum with me. I couldn’t stop thinking about the many ways All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome made me smile as an autistic teenager, and the book loyally sits in my joy-filled autism library well into adulthood. 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. In this study, Phase 1 gathered data in a web-based survey on the nature of cat–child interactions in families with an ASD child. Most behavioral questions pertained to the extent to which the cats’ characteristics were: very affectionate, or at least moderately affectionate, low in fearfulness, and relatively non-aggressive with the children. Two questions concerned the responses of the children to the cats. We then explored similar questions in Phase 2, by virtue of direct structured telephone interviews of adults in families with children who have ASD, comparing cats’ interactions with children with confirmed diagnoses of severe ASD or less severe ASD as well as a sample of families with typically developing children. Materials and Methods General Methods for the Two Studies

Discussion

The UC Davis Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved a written informed consent waiver because of the anonymity of participating parents since no identifying information was requested in the survey. Participants were informed that they were participating in a research survey, and by completing the survey, they were consenting to the use of their responses in a study analysis. Participants were required to be 18 years of age or older to submit the survey.

of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, SC, United States 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 As with any diagnosis, there is a broad range of traits, so some will ring true and others not to each reader. But the things that were true in my experience were so spot on, and married to some really tender pictures, that I shouldn't have been surprised when I felt my eyes spring a leak once or twice. 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. So when it came time to update my book to current terminology and sensitivities, I was faced with a very difficult task to get things right, especially knowing that word usage and correctness changes regularly.You can look at beautiful cats' pictures and at the same time learn about Asperger Syndrome! Genius! 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.’ Liane Holliday-Willey, EdD, author of Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger’s Syndrome and Safety Skills for Asperger Women: How to Save a Perfectly Good Female Life The study did not include an opportunity to conduct direct observations of the interactions of the child and cat; rather, parents provided their perspectives on the behavior of the cat and the relationship of the child and the cat based on their ongoing lives with child and cat. Further, the role of the cat’s breed could not be assessed because of the small numbers of cats. Discussion All Cats Are on the Autism Spectrum is like receiving a hug from a lifelong friend you haven’t seen in a while. You will always be close with an indescribable bond. Knowing future generations of young people on the spectrum and their families will get to enjoy this book for years to come makes me think we will have a more understanding, accepting generation of cat lovers who become better friends to autistic children and adults alike.

Burrows KE, Adams CL, Spiers J. Sentinels of safety: service dogs ensure safety and enhance freedom and well-being for families with autistic children. Qual Health Res (2008) 18(12):1642–9. doi:10.1177/1049732308327088 Parents described the special role of the cat for the child with the following sample of quotations: “When the specified child is upset, the cat will sit by or in the lap of the specified child.”“The only time we get to hear our autistic child spontaneously speak is when he is interacting with this cat.”“He is non-verbal and doesn’t sign for much, but he does sign for his kitty numerous times each day!”“My son just likes to look at the cats and talk to them.”“He will sit and read to the cats although you can’t understand what he is saying.”“The specified cat helped my child say new words.” Mertens C. Human-cat interactions in the home setting. Anthrozoos (1991) 4(4):214–31. doi:10.2752/089279391787057062 Turner D. A review of over three decades of research on cat-human and human-cat interactions and relationships. Behav Processes (2017) 141:297–304. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2017.01.008 When considering placing a cat with a child with ASD, the cat’s welfare is sometimes a concern. We found that in most cases, the cat was spending only an hour a day or less with the child. Appropriately, this means that the cats were able to spend most of the day in various other activities, and, if the child’s behavior with the cat could be problematic, supervising the child’s behavior with the cat would not require extensive time commitments from a parent.Liane Holliday-Willey, EdD, author of Pretending to Be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome and Safety Skills for Asperger Women: How to Save a Perfectly Good Female Life

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. We found no effect of neuter status or gender related to the aggression or affection shown by the cats. Being the only cat in the house seemed to be a risk factor for heightened aggression and reduced affection by the specified cat; however, in such cases, the child had only one cat available. While there was a range in reports of relationships with the specified cat and autistic children, for a majority of respondents, there was a very favorable relationship between the cat and ASD child, as well as with cats and less severe ASD and typically developing children. Among parents of typically developing children, 9 offered very positive comments. “Cat and child love each other.”“Child likes to talk to our baby about the cat and bring the cat over to the infant to say hi.”“Child loves to carry the cat around.”“Child loves the cat.”“Cat tries to guard the family.”“Fun to watch the children loving to interact with the cat.” Two parents had no comment. Another described the cat and child ignoring each other, and two said the child was slightly fearful of the cat. Two said the children hated and were afraid of unfriendly cats; one usually unfriendly “cat comes into the bedroom at night purring to get petted, child will scream for parents to come get the cat.”Cats in households with an ASD child appeared to be affectionate and minimally aggressive with the ASD child. However, the cat’s level of affection seems higher among cats living with children developing typically as compared with those with severe or less severe ASD. Limitations of the Research I am really looking forward to using the book in my work as an autism advocate and give it my warmest recommendations. 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 Approval for conducting interviews was obtained from the University of California, Davis, Institutional Review Board as Protocols #201018447-1 and #284059-2. The web survey responses were entirely anonymous with an introductory description of informed consent provided to respondents. Author Contributions