Pets have often been credited for relieving stress, but in Britain, a pet parrot has been playing speech therapist.

ALTHOUGH most pets are kept for companionship, their owners also enjoy therapeutic effects as stroking a cat or dog can help soothe away stress and anxiety.

In Japan, for instance, there have been reports of specially-trained pets being “rented” by the rich for so-called weekend stroking sessions to assist in calming frayed nerves. And watching fish swimming in an aquarium has also been known to evoke a feeling of peace and relaxation.

But for a macaw to teach a boy to talk – it’s usually the other way round – now, that’s certainly something worth squawking about.

Autistic child Dylan Hargreaves recently learnt his first words – thanks to the family’s pet parrot, Barney. Previously, the four-year-old boy, who has severe learning disabilities, had never uttered a word

However, after listening to the macaw, he can now say “night, night”, “dad”, “mum”, “ta”, “hello” and “bye.”

While those words may seem simple enough for normal children, they are no easy feat for autistic kids like Dylan, who has communication problems. But at the rate he is picking up words from the parrot, experts believe he is close to learning his first two-syllable word.

The boy’s mother, Michelle, 33, said that before the parrot’s arrival, Dylan could hardly speak and could only make noises. She was, however, taken by surprise when her son started to talk shortly after Barney was given to the family in January.

“It may be the only odd word but I could clearly understand what he was saying,” according to press reports.

Michelle, from Blackburn, explained that every time she taught the bird something to say, Dylan would try to repeat the same thing.

“Now, when I put him to bed, he says ‘night night mum’. It means the world to me,” she enthused.

She reckons that her son’s first two-syllable word would probably be “Barney”, since he loves his pet so much.

Her husband, Rob Hargreaves, said they were overjoyed that their son could finally speak, adding it was a good start although he was merely copying the bird.

Speech therapist Dr Hazel Rodham from the University of Lancashire confirmed the value of learning to speak parrot-fashion.

“If there’s some enjoyment, a child is more likely to learn. And presumably this parrot has attracted the boy’s attention,” she was quoted as saying.

She added that a child with learning difficulties might benefit from the bird’s slow repetition of words.

Barney may not be aware of its amazing influence over the boy. But it certainly has something to crow about.

Parrot- fashion learning