The result: “Contact with companion animals resulted in greater improvement of ADHD symptoms, better learning, and superior school performance when compared with the outdoor experience,” the scientists found. But that was just the beginning. “The companion animal experience also provided greater speech gains, better nonverbal behavior, improved attentiveness, and an increased ability to control impulse behavior.” Moreover, these differences were still evident six months after the program ended. The italics are mine, because holy moly, that’s some long-lasting wonder drug.
