AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me. Edited to remove the word 'sufferer')
The reptiles have a calming effect on six-year-old Charlie Burnett
Charlie Burnett, from Woking, with corn snake Cameron
The life of an autistic boy from Woking has been transformed after adopting a snake and other reptiles, but his parents are terrified of the creatures.
Six-year-old Charlie Burnett has Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA), meaning the slightest setback or stress can throw him into "meltdown".
Now, however, with the help of pet corn snake Cameron, a lizard and a bearded dragon, he is much calmer, happier and finds day-to-day life more manageable.
His mother, Jaime Gridley, said Charlie finds the animals, and in particular the snake, therapeutic.
“It’s changed Charlie’s world,” she told the Woking Advertiser. “I can’t tell you the difference it’s made to our family. We’ve had hamsters in the past but they have done nothing. He’s not interested in them But now I know I can come home from work, take the snake out of the box and he’ll be calm.”
Because Charlie is high-functioning, he attends a mainstream school, which he finds "enormously stressful", according to Ms Gridley, a teacher herself.
“His PDA means he thinks that if there are any demands place on him he will have a meltdown,” she said. “People often don’t realise how challenging he finds it.”
Asking Charlie how his day at school went used to be a painstaking process for his Ms Gridley and father Alex Burnett, but these days if they want to find out they only have to eves-drop on the conversations he will be having Cameron.
“It’s phenomenal,” said his mother. It’s something about he way snakes move. “It’s very calming.”
'They're real friends'
As well as its evident listening skills, the corn snake also helps Charlie to get to sleep.
Until last year the child could only sleep with his parents, waking almost every hour, but since the arrival of Cameron he has spent the midnight hours soundly asleep in his own bed, his new friend in its box nearby.
“They say good morning and good night to each other,” said Ms Gridley. "They’re proper friends.”
Charlie’s parents’ joy at his dramatic improvement have been tempered by their own fear at handling his new reptilian friends, however.
“I’m not a snake lover, I’m petrified of them,” admitted Ms Gridley, saying the same went for her partner.
“But being fearful of them is outweighed by the benefit. We grin through the fear.”
The improvement began last year when his parents invited Nick Forrest, from Pentangle-Aquatics pet shop in Knaphill , to bring some animals along for Charlie’s birthday party.
Realising the boy showed an enthusiasm for reptiles, Mr Forrest, whom Ms Gridley describes as ‘an amazing person’, then spent hours discussing with Charlie which pet would be best for him.
“He’s a lovely boy and it’s great to have the satisfaction of doing your job right,” said Mr Forrest.
“Snakes are great animals. If you look after them correctly they will become very loyal, just like cats and dogs.”
Charlie Burnett with a bearded dragon
Mr Forrest, 38, said he had worked with other people with conditions such as autism and that, while he is ‘no scientist’, he believes there is something about snakes and lizards that focuses the brain and allows people to relax.
“When I first met Charlie he didn’t want any other friends at his party,” he said.
“But when I saw while doing some demos at children’s parties this summer he was a completely different child.
“He was talking to the other children, showing them how to look after the animals.
“He’s going from strength to strength.”
Mr Forrest said he believes the current younger generation are less prone to be scared and are more open-minded about handling reptiles.
He predicted that Cameron would grow to be five or six feet long, but that if in the future Charlie wanted a ‘bigger challenge’, he could consider adopting a boa constrictor.
SOURCE: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woking-child-autism-transformed-friendship-10503368
The reptiles have a calming effect on six-year-old Charlie Burnett
Charlie Burnett, from Woking, with corn snake Cameron
The life of an autistic boy from Woking has been transformed after adopting a snake and other reptiles, but his parents are terrified of the creatures.
Six-year-old Charlie Burnett has Pathological Demand Avoidance Syndrome (PDA), meaning the slightest setback or stress can throw him into "meltdown".
Now, however, with the help of pet corn snake Cameron, a lizard and a bearded dragon, he is much calmer, happier and finds day-to-day life more manageable.
His mother, Jaime Gridley, said Charlie finds the animals, and in particular the snake, therapeutic.
“It’s changed Charlie’s world,” she told the Woking Advertiser. “I can’t tell you the difference it’s made to our family. We’ve had hamsters in the past but they have done nothing. He’s not interested in them But now I know I can come home from work, take the snake out of the box and he’ll be calm.”
Because Charlie is high-functioning, he attends a mainstream school, which he finds "enormously stressful", according to Ms Gridley, a teacher herself.
“His PDA means he thinks that if there are any demands place on him he will have a meltdown,” she said. “People often don’t realise how challenging he finds it.”
Asking Charlie how his day at school went used to be a painstaking process for his Ms Gridley and father Alex Burnett, but these days if they want to find out they only have to eves-drop on the conversations he will be having Cameron.
“It’s phenomenal,” said his mother. It’s something about he way snakes move. “It’s very calming.”
'They're real friends'
As well as its evident listening skills, the corn snake also helps Charlie to get to sleep.
Until last year the child could only sleep with his parents, waking almost every hour, but since the arrival of Cameron he has spent the midnight hours soundly asleep in his own bed, his new friend in its box nearby.
“They say good morning and good night to each other,” said Ms Gridley. "They’re proper friends.”
Charlie’s parents’ joy at his dramatic improvement have been tempered by their own fear at handling his new reptilian friends, however.
“I’m not a snake lover, I’m petrified of them,” admitted Ms Gridley, saying the same went for her partner.
“But being fearful of them is outweighed by the benefit. We grin through the fear.”
The improvement began last year when his parents invited Nick Forrest, from Pentangle-Aquatics pet shop in Knaphill , to bring some animals along for Charlie’s birthday party.
Realising the boy showed an enthusiasm for reptiles, Mr Forrest, whom Ms Gridley describes as ‘an amazing person’, then spent hours discussing with Charlie which pet would be best for him.
“He’s a lovely boy and it’s great to have the satisfaction of doing your job right,” said Mr Forrest.
“Snakes are great animals. If you look after them correctly they will become very loyal, just like cats and dogs.”
Charlie Burnett with a bearded dragon
Mr Forrest, 38, said he had worked with other people with conditions such as autism and that, while he is ‘no scientist’, he believes there is something about snakes and lizards that focuses the brain and allows people to relax.
“When I first met Charlie he didn’t want any other friends at his party,” he said.
“But when I saw while doing some demos at children’s parties this summer he was a completely different child.
“He was talking to the other children, showing them how to look after the animals.
“He’s going from strength to strength.”
Mr Forrest said he believes the current younger generation are less prone to be scared and are more open-minded about handling reptiles.
He predicted that Cameron would grow to be five or six feet long, but that if in the future Charlie wanted a ‘bigger challenge’, he could consider adopting a boa constrictor.
SOURCE: http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/woking-child-autism-transformed-friendship-10503368
