Article published In:
Interaction StudiesVol. 13:2 (2012) ► pp.165–188
Children with autism encounter an unfamiliar pet
Application of the Strange Animal Situation test
Autistic disorders are characterized by deficits in social interactions and communication, strong aversion or non-response to social stimuli. However, these children are often reported to develop strong bonds with companion animals. We hypothesized that children with autism (CAD) would present different behavioural profiles when encountering an unfamiliar animal in a Strange Animal Situation close-to-life test. Twenty seven CAD were compared to 59 children with typical development (CTD). Our results. revealed similarities in the behaviour of both groups of children as well as patterns specific to the CAD (e.g. attracted by humans). Different profiles emerged depending on everyday living conditions. This study constitutes, to our knowledge, the first clear description of how children with autism react when encountering an unfamiliar animal and one of the first direct comparisons between CAD and CTD using a naturalistic but standardized setting. Keywords: autism; animal; profile; interaction; ethology
Cited by
Cited by 11 other publications
Belin, Laurine, Laurence Henry, Mélanie Destays, Martine Hausberger & Marine Grandgeorge
2017. Simple Shapes Elicit Different Emotional Responses in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Neurotypical Children and Adults. Frontiers in Psychology 8 
Catala, Amélie, Patrick Latour, Ana Martos Martinez-Caja, Hugo Cousillas, Martine Hausberger & Marine Grandgeorge
2020. Is there a Profile of Spontaneous Seizure-Alert Pet Dogs? A Survey of French People with Epilepsy. Animals 10:2 ► pp. 254 ff.
Dollion, Nicolas & Marine Grandgeorge
2022. L’animal de compagnie dans la vie des enfants au développement typique et atypique et de leur famille. La revue internationale de l'éducation familiale n° 50:1 ► pp. 157 ff.
Dollion, Nicolas, Alexandre Herbin, Noël Champagne, Pierrich Plusquellec & Marine Grandgeorge
2022. Characterization of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder’s Interactions with a Service Dog During Their First Encounter. Anthrozoös 35:6 ► pp. 867 ff.
Dollion, Nicolas, Manon Toutain, Nathe François, Noël Champagne, Pierrich Plusquellec & Marine Grandgeorge
2021. Visual Exploration and Observation of Real-Life Interactions Between Children with ASD and Service Dogs. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 51:11 ► pp. 3785 ff.
Grandgeorge, Marine
2015. Les apports de l’animal dans le développement des enfants aux troubles du spectre autistique. Sens-Dessous N° 16:2 ► pp. 17 ff.
Grandgeorge, Marine, Yannig Bourreau, Zarrin Alavi, Eric Lemonnier, Sylvie Tordjman, Michel Deleau & Martine Hausberger
2015. Interest towards human, animal and object in children with autism spectrum disorders: an ethological approach at home. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 24:1 ► pp. 83 ff.
Grandgeorge, Marine, Céline Degrez, Zarrin Alavi & Eric Lemonnier
2016. Face Processing of Animal and Human Static Stimuli by Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study. Human-animal interaction bulletin 2016
Grandgeorge, Marine, Elodie Dubois, Zarrin Alavi, Yannig Bourreau & Martine Hausberger
2019. Do Animals Perceive Human Developmental Disabilities? Guinea Pigs’ Behaviour with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Children with Typical Development. A Pilot Study. Animals 9:8 ► pp. 522 ff.
Grandgeorge, Marine, Yentl Gautier, Pauline Brugaillères, Inès Tiercelin, Carole Jacq, Marie-Claude Lebret & Martine Hausberger
2017. Social rivalry triggers visual attention in children with autism spectrum disorders. Scientific Reports 7:1
Signori, Alexe, Catherine Sadoun-Haillard, Laëtitia Bailly & Jaqueline Wendland
2020. Impact de la médiation animale sur le caregiving de mères détenues avec leur bébé. Une étude pilote. Devenir Vol. 32:3 ► pp. 163 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 22 may 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.