All Cats Are on the Autism Spectrum

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I am really looking forward to using the book in my work as an autism advocate and give it my warmest recommendations. Kathy Hoopmann's books, using animals to explain aspects of SEND, have pride of place on my shelf. In fact I have two copies of each, so that I always have a spare to loan out. Each person who borrows one ends up buying their own copy as they are a must-have for anyone interested in the areas covered. This revision of All Cats Have Aspergers, has been sensitively updated to include developments in understanding of autism. The gender neutral language now recognises that autism is not a 'male' condition and the differences of everyone on the spectrum is beautifully illustrated with tangles of colour. The photos are as endearing as ever, making this a sensitive approach for any SENCO, parent or child who is trying to explain or understand the high functioning autistic condition. Two copies of All Cats are on the Autism Spectrum now sit next to the rest of my collection. Expecting that a cat would be affectionate with a child may pose particular challenges, since cats were found by Mertens ( 12) to prefer adults to young children, in terms of approaches and duration of proximity. Cats in families preferred adult women, with whom they reportedly had their most reciprocal relationships. These findings raise a possibility that predicting the interactions of cats with children may be more challenging.

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 This book is an updated version of the author’s 2006 All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome and since then what is considered acceptable terminology has changed and the author says in her note for this edition that people’s views are not all the same and that she hopes ‘readers will see past the finer details of disagreement and join me in celebrating, and deepening our understanding of, the richness and diversity of the autistic community.’ You can’t say fairer than that. See the full review here JILL R BENNETT, Red reading Hub- Review of Children’s books 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. It was clear that the specified cats varied considerably in behavior. The study has revealed the importance of having a cat that is inherently low in aggression, socially outgoing, and affectionate as a family companion for a child with ASD or that is typically developing. One such resource that explores purebreds and domestic shorthair and longhair cats in this regard has rated the breeds on scales for these traits ( 11). A study where adult cat owners rated personality attributes of their cats also suggests the importance of careful pet selection. Six personality dimensions were identified, and one of these, amiability, was strongly correlated with the respondent’s satisfaction with the cat and the bond quality, and the extent to which the cat was not perceived as troublesome ( 19). Active selection for an affectionate cat could improve the chances of a calming rewarding relationship of cat and child.One reviewer didn't like he being used. Most people with Aspergers are male. Frankly, I didn't catch it. Okay, I did not know what to make of this book when I saw it on the table at a recent book sale, but cat lover that I am, how could I pass it up for 50 cents? Autism' is beautifully articulated and illustrated by our feline associates. This book captures our spirit, highlights our individuality, easily explains in an image, so many of our playful and meaningful behaviours, as well as showcases our strengths. It's a humorous account of a serious love affair! In both phases of this study, a minority of cats was reported as sometimes being aggressive with the specified child, adults, other children, or other cats. Importantly, aggression was not heightened with ASD children. Consistent with other studies, a somewhat higher proportion of cats were affectionate with adults than the specified child (Table 5). Yet, most cats were affectionate with the ASD child, a somewhat surprising result given earlier reports of cats more often approaching and spending longer times with adult females rather than other family members ( 12). Over decades, Turner ( 20) conducted extensive studies of human–cat interactions, clearly revealing that either the cat or the person can initiate the human–cat interaction, that this affects the subsequent duration of the interaction, and that both parties play very active roles in the interactions and relationship. Further studies using methods similar to those of Turner could clarify the exact nature of the interaction between cats and ASD children. Me-wow! I was 13 years old when my mom brought All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome home from an autism conference. You’d expect teenagers to think they’re too old for picture books when they so desperately want to be seen as adults, but nope – the adorable cats and simple yet positive words to connect everything together made me, a lifelong dog owner and lover, feel a deep connection with cats and autism. I couldn’t describe the magic of how cats perfectly explained everything I felt and knew about myself. Kathy’s stunning depictions of autism resonated deeply with me. I was already confident and proud to be autistic, and that pride was solidified in a picture book.

I am very excited, and honoured, that my Danish translator, Anne Skov Jensen has written her own foreword to the Danish version, ‘ Alle katte er på autismespektret’ . ( You can buy the Danish version HERE) 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.”As described in the Statistical Methods, a PCA was run on all responses that pertained to the quality or depth of the relationship between the autistic child and the specified cat. The child’s gender and the cat’s gender, intact status, and breed first were found to be insignificant factors. The first principal component summarized this information, with positive factor loadings for all positive cat/child interactions, except for “aggression toward child,” which had a negative factor loading. Thus, high values of the first principal component indicated a positive/deep relationship, and low values indicated a poor/shallow relationship. 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. My main complaint is that it doesn't take into account differences between different individuals with Aspergers. It over generalizes. For instance it states he doesn't want loved ones to hold him. That may be true for some individuals, but their are many children with AS who really really love to be held, who are actually clingier than most children. 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 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

of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, United States 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. 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 Approval was obtained from the University of California, Davis, Institutional Review Board as Protocols #201018447-1 and #284059-2. Phase 1. Web Survey of Parents Having both a Child Who Had Been Diagnosed with ASD and a Cat Every time I read in it, it still gives me a sense of being heard, met and understood as an autistic individual, and I’m certain that others will feel the same way. And I will never get tired of looking at all the beautiful and cute cats.

He's often fussy about what he eats." For years I bought Nalley's Walla Walla Onion Chili. It's still the only kind of chili he likes. Over the years, I have recommended the book to a lot of people and have time and time again experienced that both children and adults on the spectrum and their families have shown the same enthusiasm for it. That is really the best recommendation a book can get. I am so incredibly happy that I have been given the opportunity to translate this new edition into Danish. 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.