ANIMAL BONDS

THANK you for your continued coverage in the Eastern Reporter of people with disabilities and their families.

The more information the wider community has the better chance people with disabilities have of living in an inclusive and aware community.

For any other families who have a family member on the autism spectrum, I highly recommend Nuala Gardner’s memoir A Friend like Henry about her son’s dog, which she basically used as a therapist for her son, with great success.

Many things we try to teach our children with ASD can be learned by using a dog, and children who don’t bond easily with another person will often have an incredibly close bond with a dog or another animal.

I also recommend the book All Cats have Asperger Syndrome, which is a great way of explaining the nature of this form of autism.

MELISSA KELLY, Balcatta