Companion and Assistance Animals - My Budgie is My Buddy

Recently, my young son, who is on the Autism Spectrum, saved up for and bought his first pet, baby budgie. The vibrant blue one, which stood forlornly at the back of the pet shop bird enclosure, caught his eye and he decided that this little fellow was to be his next buddy.

Now previous to this discovery, I thought about acquiring an assistance dog, but we already have two gorgeous small rat-bags, a mini Pomeranian and a Jack Russell crossed with a Whippet, who both clamber for his friendship each time he comes home from school. I also thought of another pet mouse, as he had loved the long haired, ginger and white one, which we lost to Mouse Heaven some time ago. Perhaps we could have searched for some aquatic critter to occupy one of the empty fish tanks we had stored in the shed?

“I want to teach my buddy to talk. A fish won’t talk; a mouse won’t talk and we don’t need another dog mum.” My son confidently said to me, “I saw a bird talking in the TV and I want a talking bird too.”

Upon an explanation to my son that in order for a bird to talk, one needs to spend some time teaching them simple words or sounds first, then building upon these skills over time. A bird, which can learn to talk, will also only and usually imitate what you say, rather than having a conversation with you.

“Ok…,” my son said, “I will teach him words like you did [taught me] when I didn’t talk [when little]. He can copy what I say; a bit like echo..echal…,”

“Echolalia.” I said.

“Yeh. That’s what I did when little, didn’t I?” he continued.

“That’s right. It’ll be a bit like that. Your budgie will repeat the words you teach him, and sometimes you will hear him talking to himself, repeating the words you have taught him.” I said.

A proud tear welled up in my eye when he stated this, as this beautiful young man didn’t speak (formal language) until he was about 4 years of age. Echolalia was a large part of his verbal expression in those early years. Now he wanted to teach ‘someone’ else how to verbalize.

Using pictures first, then pictures with words, I taught him to speak his first discernable, short sentences. He believed that he was going to teach this ‘layering’ system to his new blue budgie, even if his new feathered friend was only going to imitate him.

With his excitement at the prospect of buying his ‘student-of-language’ and new best friend, I reminded him that we needed to also purchase an appropriate cage for the bird to live happily in.

Not far from the pet shop was an Op Shop. Low and behold, sitting on a table at the front of the store was a smart blue and white bird cage. Not believing our luck, and my son deciding that this was the one he wanted, we purchased it with the last five dollars he had left over from his pocket-money. I was content to buy a new cage, but he had firmly chosen the one in the charity store.

We bought the cage, paid for the budgie and all the food and trinkets/toys it would need to enjoy its new life with us and then ventured home.

After carefully helping to set up the cage, bird toys and food for his new friend, I said to my son, “What are you going to name this handsome young bird?”

After some deep thought and pondering, my son said, “Buddy! That’s the best name for him.”

Buddy it was.

To this day, my son has taught Buddy some unique whistle sounds, the beginnings of some words and his [my son’s] patience in doing so is astounding. My son also loves getting ‘kisses’ from Buddy when he puts his face close to him. He [my son] is the chosen one – Buddy won’t ‘kiss’ the rest of us.

Companion animals can come in all shapes and sizes. Whatever animal a young person on the Autism Spectrum is intuitively and naturally drawn to, it will usually be the best choice for all. The bond between the mutually chosen friends can be incredibly strong; they can teach each other so much. Companion pets offer the individual on the Spectrum unconditional affection and non judgemental friendship – the most soulful friendship of all.

When deciding on a companion pet for your child, let’s hope, though, that your beautiful son or daughter doesn’t wish for a dinosaur as his/her next real life buddy.