Animal Assisted Therapy

Florence Nightingale was the first person to recognize the therapeutic potential of animals in the late 1800s. Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing which enabled her to make such discoveries by observing the impact animals had on her medical patients. She discovered that the company of a small pet reduced anxiety in children and adults that resided in psychiatric institutions and recorded her findings in her book “Notes on Nursing”. With Nightingale’s involuntary record of these human-animal interactions, animal-assisted therapy approaches began to flourish.

In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.

For a number of children with autism having a companion dog is the difference between life and death. Methodically trained guide dogs help create an environment where autistic children are comfortable enough to live a more ordinary lifestyle. Autism spectrum disorder is a major public health problem that is the most common neurological disorder affecting 1 out of every 110 births in the US (Autism Society, 2009). ASDs can range in severity from Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism where the child can function relatively well in society, to autistic disorder or classical ASD, which severely inhibits the child’s ability to socialize or communicate (NINDS). Autism manifests itself most strikingly as impairments in formation of

Animal-based therapy provides many benefits for individuals with a disability. When assisting individuals with disabilities it is important to consider all options that will help them achieve the most success in life. Deciding which therapies to use is often difficult and should be decided on by the individual, their doctors, therapist, and family. Any drawbacks will need to be weighed against the advantages to ensure the course of treatment will be effective and appropriate for the individual. Revisions may need to be considered for the patient along the treatment path. Of the many types of therapies available, it is important to look at the benefits of animal assisted therapy. Individuals with disabilities who are routinely engaged in companion animal therapy develop a greater range of social skills than those who are not involved in any form of therapeutic animal-based therapy.

Equine-assisted interventions. A study by Jenkins and Reed (2013) examined the ways that participating in equine-assisted interventions impacted children with autism’s social behavior in multiple contexts. They observed children (N=7) who were participating in a therapeutic horseback riding program both at the center and at home to find if this intervention altered the children’s social behaviors. The results did not indicate that these interventions produced significant changes in children’s affect, off-task behavior, problem behavior, compliance, or language in program or home observations. However, numerous parents verbally reported that there were changes in their child’s language abilities at home and school. This indicates that parental

Autism - Children with ASD can suffer from a difficulty focusing, communicating well with others, and responding to sensory stimuli. Results from studies done on children with ASD have shown that after exposure to AAT there were positive effects on social interaction. According to the study, when a dog was introduced to children with ASD they displayed a reduction of stress, anxiety, and irritability around others, because the animals promoted a more relaxed environment for the children (Siewertsen).

More research is needed to find if animal-assisted interventions offer substantial and reliable improvements in symptoms in children with ASD. If family has extra resources and finds that these interventions might be beneficial for their child’s symptoms, this has not yet been found to be harmful. However, it might be advisable that social skills interventions are integrated into a child’s therapy before the use of an animal to aid in these interactions is selected. It seems that animal-assisted interventions are promising for improving safety and targeting atypical sensory responsiveness. If a child with autism’s safety cannot be managed in other ways and the family is experiencing substantial burden, a service dog might be a beneficial

With limited empirical research supporting the use and effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy, it is reasonable to suggest that the costs of implementing AAT into occupational therapy are not worth the benefits. Occupational therapy modalities are already effective at treating patients with many different disabilities and/or disorders—integrating a new type of therapy into occupational therapy is less convenient and more expensive than leaving an already effective therapy as is.

Animal-assisted therapy is the inclusion of an animal in treatment for a therapeutic purpose, such as a child having a trained therapy dog that serves much like a service dog for the blind (Velde, B. P., Cipriani, J., & Fisher, G., 2005). Animal-assisted activities (AAA) are not individually designed, goal-oriented, or led by a trained professional and include activities like equine-assisted activity, classroom animals, or companion animals (Evans & Gray, 2011). Despite the increasing commonality of animal-assisted interventions, there is a disagreement about the effectiveness of these practices. Supporters of animal-assisted interventions cite anecdotal evidence and findings from several research studies, whereas others assert that these interventions are not supported by quality research and are not ethically sound. However, there is little discussion on which animal-assisted interventions support the most optimal outcomes for particular children with ASD and the specific symptoms they are

However, there is no empirical research proving the efficacy of DAT. In the first literature review examined, O’Haire (2012) examined several different empirical studies in order to attempt to close the gap of lack of evidence in Animal assisted intervention (AAI) with children who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She hoped to do three things: “(a) describe the characteristics of AAI for ASD, (b) evaluate the state of the evidence base, and (c) summarize the reported outcomes of AAI for ASD” (O’Haire, 2012). She narrowed it down to a total of 14 studies that fit the criteria she was looking for. Of these 14, the participants were seen an average of 40 minutes per session, for 13 session for 12 weeks. The outcomes of her review concluded that although AAI has seen to improve ASD; most improvement in social interaction, there is a methodological weakness about these studies. There is no actual proof to these claims; further research will be needed. Similarly, Fiksdal and colleagues (2012) looked at a series of studies done on dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT). They explained that because of the desperation of the parents and because of lack of other effective studies DAT is a popular therapy route. DAT is most often advertised through social media; television, newspaper, movies and more. While there are personal statements of improvement in

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a fairly old practice, but it has just recently drawn a lot of attention and interest. The Delta Society (as cited by Nebbe, n.d.) defines animal-assisted therapy as the use of an animal in a goal oriented intervention. AAT is provided and documented by professionals. Furthermore, it is designed to promote advancements in social, emotional, physical, and/or cognitive operation (Nebbe, n.d.). It is also important to note that animal-assisted therapy should always be an adjunctive intervention and not in isolation of other services (Fitchett, Granger, Helmer, Kogan, & Young, 1999). Almost any animal can be used in AAT as long as it is a pleasant, sociable animal. However, before animal-assisted therapy

Other research studies focus on the ways that animals can be integrated into the classroom to improve the social interactions in children with ASD. The first study by O’Haire, McKenzie, McCune, and Slaughter (2013) studied children participating with two guinea pigs in the classroom for three 10-minute sessions, while having another group of children simply playing with toys. They measured social approach behaviors and the amount of social approaches that the child received. They found that when children with ASD were playing with the animal they presented more social approach behaviors and were approached more than the children playing with the toys. A later study by O’Haire et al. (2014) examined the integration of guinea pigs into the classroom and found significant improvements in the participant’s social approach behaviors and social skills and a decrease in the children’s social withdrawal behaviors. This is supported by Fung and Leung’s (2014) study, which examined children with autism’s interaction with either a dog or a stuffed animal dog. They found a significant increase in the verbal social behavior in children who interacted with dogs. The most recent study by O’haire et al. (2015) examined skin conductance arousal of children with ASD (N=33) and typically developing peers (N=66) interacting with guinea pigs in the classroom. These children were measured in four different social contexts including silent reading, reading aloud, free play with peers and toys, and free play with peers and guinea pigs. They found that the children with ASD had higher levels of arousal than his or her peers, as indicated by skin conductance responses, except for when the animals were present. Children with ASD showed a 43% decrease in skin conductance when animals were present in playtime, as opposed the usual availability of toys. Each of these studies indicates that having animals in the classroom increases positive social

Using animals as a form of therapy is a relatively new concept and is still being researched widely. The first integration of animals into a therapeutic setting was in 1962 (Chandler 2001). Since then a plethora of beneficial uses for therapy animals including helping children learn have been discovered. Animals have already become integrated into the school system especially in elementary schools. Just under half of the classrooms in one school surveyed had animal visitors in their classroom, and just over a quarter of the classrooms had permanent pets (Fine 2010). Teachers use these pets to teach their students responsibility and help their mental health (Fine 2010). This is only one school. If this theory could be researched more we could prove the benefits so it could be implemented nationwide.

The advantages and disadvantages of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) are examined, with a particular focus on the implications of implementing animal-assisted therapy within occupational therapy. There is a lack of research on animal-assisted therapy to date, specifically in the context of occupational therapy and research conducted by occupational therapy professionals is even sparser. When considering the therapeutic application of animal-assisted therapy, it is important to acknowledge the accepted interpretations of what defines animal-assisted therapy and occupational therapy, the patient populations which could benefit from AAT, and the contraindications, limitations of current research, and further areas of study necessary for advancement in the realm of AAT. Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) can provide meaningful occupations for individuals, making them a unique alternative to traditional occupational therapy interventions. Results of past studies reflect statistically significant benefits of animal-assisted therapy on a variety of characteristics and disorders, among patients of all ages, and within various populations. As animal-assisted therapy continues to gain in popularity as a therapeutic intervention, research on animal-assisted therapy and its significance for use in occupational therapy should be continued.

The neurodevelopmental disorders, according to the DSM 5, are a group of conditions with onset in the developmental period. The disorders typically manifest early in development, often before the child enters grade school, and are characterized by developmental deficits that produce impairments of personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is newly classified as such; it was once classified as “Asperger’s Syndrome.” ASD is a severe neurodevelopmental impairment. The disorder limits the functioning capabilities of children and their capacity to communicate as well as interact with others. ASD effects how children perceive the world around them; socializing with others happens to be the most vital piece of development. Onset for ASD can occur as early as infancy, some children, however, may develop normal and then begin to suddenly withdraw and become unusually aggressive with those around them, they also begin to lose vocabulary and language skills they’ve once had. Other medical conditions may be comorbid with ASD; for example, epilepsy, intellectual and structural language disorders, mental disorders, sleep disorders, and avoidant-restrictive food intake disorders, (DSM 5, pg. 59).