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Take the definition of animal kingdom to include anything from insects, snakes, spiders, lions, tigers, sharks, whales, zebra's, gazelle's, horses, goldfish, cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, foxes, donkeys, pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys, geese, swans, sparrows, bats, frogs, toads, cuckoos, viruses, bacteria, germs, sea urchins, rays, jellyfish, ringworm, earthworms, ants, scorpions, stick-insects, aardvarks, beavers, bees, wasps, buffalo, butterflies, caterpillars, chimpanzees, roaches, cranes, crabs, crocodiles, doves, elephants, flies, gnats, gorilla's, hornets, leopards, lemurs, moose's, octopuses, panthers, parrots, pelican's, penguins, raccoons, sheep, shrew's, tapir's, walrus's, weasel's, wren's, woodpeckers, yaks, sand dollars, sea lions, seals, salamanders. rooks, reindeer, ravens, rats, quelea's, turtles, ponies, pigeons, seagulls, pelicans, panda's, bears, oysters, ox's, owls, okapi's, mules, narwhal's, otters, opossums, oryx's, ostrich's, newts, mosquito's, moles, meerkat's, manatee's, ducks, mink's, magpie's, lyrebirds, loris's, llama's, lobsters, locusts, larks, kouprey's, komodo dragons, koala's, kangaroo's, jackal's, jay's, jaguar's, iguana's, hyena's, hummingbirds, hippopotamuses, herons, rhinoceroses, hawks, hedgehogs, guanaco's, grasshoppers, grouse, gophers, gnu's, gaur's, giraffe's, albatrosses, camels, gerbil's, ferrets, falcon's, elands, eagles, dugongs, echidna's, doves, dolphins, dogfish, tyrannosauruses, coyotes, cormorants, cod, chinchilla's, clams, chamois, caribou, barracuda's, armadillo's, apes, anteaters, alpaca's, alligators, etc etc

 

Plus I suppose you could also include the plant kingdom of which there are many...

 

 

Please provide an explanation as to your answer.

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I'm not sure... but my dog displays a lot of traits - but he could have just copied me I guess - things like eye contact, sitting on his own when he doesn't have to, going nuts and then slumping when he's burnt himself out, high stress levels when he was younger, food issues - that was a problem before I got him though - if I take him off his set route on a walk he won't walk - even if I only step a foot to the left or right - he doesn't like crowds of people, he won't walk in the day when there's a lot of traffic, he didn't used to like being touched - he's better with that now... he's either super focused or totally ignorant and aloof, his understanding of boundaries are skewed, he doesn't listen to anyone but me when he's excited or stressed...

 

Lot's of negative things there... My dog is the most annoying thing ever in some respects, but at the same times he's great, I like seeing him run a wall of death round the room when he's happy, and the stupid things he does, and the way he gazes adoringly at my feet and occasionally risks a glance at my face, and that simple things make him happy - even if he likes the same things to be done over and over again.

 

He doesn't necessarily have autism, his background before I got him caused a lot of problems for him and then his guidance in the world was me - it doesn't surprise me that he's picked up a lot of my traits / bad habits, seeing as I was the one to teach him. Although some tendencies existed beforehand...

 

I think it's possible that some animals might have autism or at least have traits - but it would be very difficult to prove!

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I think it is the other way around. All dogs have ADHD and all cats have Asperger's.

 

Dogs can't have Asperger's; they love social contact and get ill without it. But they are often hyperactive,and extremely excitable, which could mean that by human standards they'd have ADHD.

Whereas cats usually like to be alone a lot - though not always.

 

It's nonsense of course. The animals are the way they are. It may be possible that ADHD and autism exist within a species, but you can't claim that an entire species is like that, because that would then automatically be the standard for the species.

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The entire human species doesn't have autism either :lol:

 

I think according to those examples that the laws in my home are reversed - the cat is clingy and needy - and the dog spends too much time sitting on his own, won't come and join in even if I call him or even if I shut the door to keep him in the same location as people, he just stares at the door until it's opened and he can go sit on his own again - he joins in when he wants to and in the way he wants to a lot of the time.

 

I don't think he has AS - I think he's copied me - which I don't see as a good thing cuz his life would be better if he was like a normal dog.

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i know diabetes and other disabilities can affect pets so it wouldn't surprise me to find animal 'autistics'.

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I have no dog.

I have one cat who is very aloof and obviously sees us as his humble servants,

and another cat who, like Mt McKinley's cat, is clingy and needy. She needs constant reassurance from her humans and cannot handle being alone. :-)

 

But ALL the dogs I had in the past would've met the criteria for ADHD!

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Maybe you've had bad luck with dogs :lol: although certain ADHD characteristics in a dog can be funny - mine was like it when he was younger but then the previous owner had encouraged a whole array of behavioural problems in him :lol:

 

I've known a lot of dogs that have been calm, sensible and well balanced canines - and I've known a fair few that could be described as having ADHD tendencies - guess it's down to breed, personality and owners

 

So we've all stuck to dogs and cats so far - the animal list was significantly longer than that... any opinions on dinosaurs or insects? ;)

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Dunno about autism, but Lola Labrador definitely has SAD, so this summer hasn't been a great one for her. I wake up in the morning, see the rain and think, 'Wish I had some dog Serotonin for Lola'. She won't do her business in the rain, either.

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I don't think animals could have autism - they don't have those over-complex social structures where you would realize a failure to cope. (In other words: they might lack the features of NTs, but in animal society it doesn't matter).

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I don't think animals could have autism - they don't have those over-complex social structures where you would realize a failure to cope. (In other words: they might lack the features of NTs, but in animal society it doesn't matter).

 

So you have the power to know that do you by some sort of advanced telepathy that you can mind meld with every animal on the planet?

 

Wake up and expand your horizons to limitless possiblities...

Edited by Mike_GX101

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About 25 minutes. Although be my guest if you feel you have any other animals you want to add to it...

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So you have the power to know that do you by some sort of advanced telepathy that you can mind meld with every animal on the planet?

 

Wake up and expand your horizons to limitless possiblities...

At least I haven't read something like the DSM, written by some member of the animal kingdom.

I'm no good at making up stories, too. It comes with the dx.

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There was an episode of It's Me Or The Dog featuring a Gordon setter whose owner compared him to an autistic child because of his obsession with shiny objects. At least I think that's what the owner said - Victoria Stillwell's official website says "obssessive-compulsive disorder" (UK series 2 episode 5). Fortunately it's available to view on Youtube, where the user comments support my recollection...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPwYzfyy_k8

Edited by Aeolienne

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I think that social animals such as: dogs, pigs and apes could show signs of autism. It would be hard to tell if more solitary animals get autism because it is mostly observable in interaction with the rest of the world.

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I think that social animals such as: dogs, pigs and apes could show signs of autism. It would be hard to tell if more solitary animals get autism because it is mostly observable in interaction with the rest of the world.

What can solitary mammals teach us about autism? - article in Psychology Today

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