The classroom can be a stressful place for children with autism spectrum disorders. Researchers found that a little furry animal can relief some of that stress. Recent studies show that when these kids are playing with guinea pigs at school, they are more eager to attend, display more interactive social behavior and become less anxious. In the latest study published in the journal of Developmental Psychobiology, it was concluded that the guinea pigs act as a “social buffer”. During this study, the children playing with guinea pigs wore wrist bands that monitored their arousal levels, measuring electric charges that race through the skin. The wrist band measurements suggested that playing with the guinea pigs lowered the children’s stress.
