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Autistic girl reads to therapy chickens to improve social skills

An autistic 11-year-old who reads to her therapy chickens insists it helps in the development of social skills, confidence building and self-esteem. Summer Farrelly who reads to her bird companions daily, says she reaps a range of benefits from it including character building, speech therapy and relaxation. Though the young innovator, from Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia, enjoys reading stories based around chickens, she says the therapy pets themselves prefer Roald Dahl novels. Admitting the chicks make no judgement when she stumbles on her words or makes any mistakes, Summer is confident to use plenty of character voices and relatable funny antics.