06Jun

Dogs are the most common service animal, but for children with autism spectrum disorder, cats may be more therapeutic.

A new study reported in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing found ordinary shelter cats had a calming effect on children with ASD, improving their empathy toward others while reducing bullying, hyperactivity and separation anxiety.

“Cats, and companion animals in general, offer unconditional acceptance and someone to talk to that listens, and caring for an animal can help with learning responsibility,” said study author Gretchen Carlisle, a research scientist at the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri veterinary college.

But dogs require more care and attention than cats, adding to the burden parents of children with autism already face.

They also are more active and energetic, which can trigger autistic children.

“Many children with autism have sensory issues and when a dog is barking in your face, it can be really overwhelming, whereas cats just sit beside you and are less overwhelming from a sensory standpoint,” Carlisle explained.

Her small study followed 11 families with autistic children ages 6-14. One group of families adopted a shelter cat and was followed for 18 weeks. A second group without a cat was followed for 18 weeks, then adopted a cat for another 18 weeks.

“Our study,” the researchers wrote, ”Found cat adoption was associated with greater empathy and less separation anxiety for children with ASD, along with fewer problem behaviors including externalizing, bullying and hyperactivity/inattention. Parents and children reported strong bonds to the cats.”

All the cats were screened for a calm temperament. “We specifically selected cats aged 10 months to 4 years because there is prior work that younger cats are more social with kids with autism, and adult temperament tends to be set at 10 months with cats, so these are younger cats with an adult temperament,” Carlisle told HealthDay News.

Commenting on the study, Dr. Melissa Nishawala, director of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Research and Clinical Program at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone Health in New York City, said that though the study was small, “these are promising findings that mirror what I see in practice.”

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk

[bdp_post_carousel]

Jun 6, 2023

Chronic Pain Patients Find Telehealth Cost Effective

Telehealth continues to demonstrate its popularity, this time among people suffering with chronic pain.

At their annual meeting this month, itself held online, anesthesiologists heard that patients who met with their pain specialist remotely were overwhelmingly satisfied with the experience.

Conducted by the UCLA Comprehensive Pain Center in Los Angeles, the survey period began in August 2019, long before the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients at the pain center were given the option of in-office or remote appointments by video or phone. The 1,398 patients who chose the remote options had a cumulative 2,948 virtual appointments.

According to an account of the study by Healthcare Finance the virtual meetings saved patients both time and money. Half saved at least 69 minutes commuting and a roundtrip of 26 miles or more. They also saved a median $22 in gas and parking fees for each virtual visit.

Initial visits for new patients or existing patients with new conditions were best served by in-person office appointments, the report said. Thereafter, follow-up appointments could be conducted remotely. Anesthesiologists participating in the conference estimated that up to 50% of visits could be virtual.

[bdp_post_carousel]

Jun 6, 2023

Influencer is the Hottest New Marketing Career (Sample)

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet. Eu tincidunt tortor aliquam nulla facilisi cras fermentum odio. Blandit libero volutpat sed cras ornare arcu dui. Est velit egestas dui id ornare arcu odio ut sem. Adipiscing at in tellus integer feugiat scelerisque varius morbi enim. Purus in massa tempor nec. Urna nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi in nulla. Ut placerat orci nulla pellentesque dignissim enim sit amet venenatis. Quisque non tellus orci ac. Sem integer vitae justo eget magna fermentum iaculis eu non. Etiam non quam lacus suspendisse faucibus. Turpis massa sed elementum tempus. Pretium vulputate sapien nec sagittis aliquam malesuada bibendum.

Laoreet non curabitur gravida arcu ac tortor. Consectetur adipiscing elit pellentesque habitant morbi tristique. Tristique magna sit amet purus gravida quis blandit turpis cursus. Nunc id cursus metus aliquam eleifend mi in. Sagittis purus sit amet volutpat. Diam volutpat commodo sed egestas. Sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes. Risus at ultrices mi tempus imperdiet. Vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus arcu. Tincidunt arcu non sodales neque sodales ut etiam sit. Mollis nunc sed id semper. Faucibus a pellentesque sit amet porttitor. Praesent elementum facilisis leo vel fringilla est ullamcorper eget. Congue eu consequat ac felis donec et odio.

Ut faucibus pulvinar elementum integer enim neque volutpat. Faucibus scelerisque eleifend donec pretium vulputate sapien nec. Semper quis lectus nulla at volutpat diam ut venenatis. Sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit duis tristique sollicitudin nibh. Enim ut tellus elementum sagittis vitae. Risus sed vulputate odio ut. Tempor commodo ullamcorper a lacus vestibulum. Molestie a iaculis at erat. Mattis molestie a iaculis at erat pellentesque. In metus vulputate eu scelerisque felis imperdiet proin fermentum. Sit amet justo donec enim diam vulputate ut pharetra sit. Turpis egestas maecenas pharetra convallis posuere morbi leo urna. Tempor id eu nisl nunc mi ipsum. Id nibh tortor id aliquet lectus proin nibh nisl condimentum. Semper risus in hendrerit gravida rutrum quisque.

[bdp_post_carousel]