Canine Assisted Activities Within Special Education

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.

Medical professionals have recently seen the positive effects animals are able to provide to their patients with mental disabilities. The emotional support dog MA recognizes

My registered Therapy Dog, Lucky, has been a member of Therapy Dog International since 2011. Under my training, Lucky has also passed his Canine Good Citizenship test. Lucky and I visit multiple facilities including assisted living establishments and elementary schools. Lucky has also been called upon for home visits with a local suffering form ALS. During our visit, our goal is to progress the humans physical, social, emotional, and cognitive function. The ability to communicate and find common interest with a variety of individuals has helped me to form lasting friendships while working with

Canines also help improve a person’s social and emotional health. In the 2009 New York Times Magazine, Melissa Fay Greene, writes about Karen Shirk in her article titled, “Wonder Dog”. Karen Shirk, a thirty-year-old woman diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare neuromuscular disease, noticed the change in herself and people around her. Strangers greeted the tubed up woman in the motorized chair whenever her dog, Ben, her German Shepard, was around. The despair she said she had once felt was now replaced with optimism and ambition. In present day, Karen Shirk is now CEO of her own facility, which she named 4 Paws For Ability, for cognitively impaired adults and children. In Lisa Field’s article “ 6 Ways Pets Can Improve Your Health”, Field’s

There has been a long history with animals and their natural bonds with humans for many decades now. Dogs have helped people with a multitude of illnesses for some time now, however Americans were not the first to discover this natural trait in animals. The Germans during World War 1 were the first to discover this. In the book, History of Guide Dog Use by Veterans it states that the German army in particular “relied heavily on the use of German shepherds as ambulance and messenger dogs. The Germans reportedly used more than 25,000 dogs during World War I. ' these dogs were ideally suited for this type of work, with ell-known traits such as trainability, loyalty, intelligence, strength, and endurance” (Ostermeier 587). In today 's society, we have numerous people who are unaware of the services that animals can provide for humans. Specifically humans with mental or physical disabilities. In this paper I will present various types of service animals as well as the many services they provide.

This one account shows how while many react the same way with the smile and laughs that people of all ages receive from a dog, others cannot have the same reaction and other “small” interactions can mean a milestone or a point of turn around for people needing that stimuli. This is only one of many accounts of accomplishments that take place with the aid of pets. Another case was a man who had just had a stroke and could not retain a long term or a short

As of 2012, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in 50 children between the ages of six and seventeen has autism spectrum disorder, with males being four times more likely than females to have these conditions (Slaughter 1). Autism is a developmental disorder that affects the brains normal development of social and communication skills. Service dogs are normally used to aid the blind, deaf or hard of hearing, and other types of disabilities. Service dogs have recently been used to help children with autism. The service dog industry has had a growing impact on the autism community, the benefits and disadvantages affect each child differently.

This claim is further elaborated upon in the article by Martin and Farnum (2002) that suggest how AAT can be helpful in promoting social and communication skills. These authors present study is presented that evaluated the effects of interacting with therapy dogs on children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). While interacting with a therapist, the children were exposed to three different conditions: 1) a nonsocial toy (ball), 2) a stuffed dog, and 3) a live therapy dog. “Pro”-social and nonsocial behaviors and interactions were evaluated in both behavioral and verbal elements. The results showed that the children exhibited a more playful disposition, paid better attention, and were more aware of their social environments when the therapy dog was in the room with the therapist. The results of this study shows that AAT may be beneficial for children with PDD because the therapy dog is acting as transitional objects. As transitional objects, children establish primary bonds with the animals an these bonds can then be transferred to humans. Because children with PDD have difficulties forming such bonds, AAT may be a good fit for this population.

Through the current study, O’Haire, McKenzie, McCune, and Slaughter (2013) examined the integration of animals into the classroom to find if this improves the social functioning of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The authors define animal-assisted activity (AAA) as “activities with animals that provide opportunities for motivational, educational, recreational, and/or therapeutic benefits without the presence of specified treatment goals or objectives” (O’Haire, McKenzie, McCune, & Slaughter, 2013, p. 163). Previous research has focused on animal-assisted therapy (AAT), which is a guided intervention led by a trained professional. It is important to study AAA because this does not have to be led by a trained professional and

We are slowly learning more ways to help children with disabilities or even trust issues. The average techniques taught to teachers and used to teach students does not help every student. The school body is made up of hundreds of pupils, and not one is the same. Equine therapy is now used for speech purposes, learning sessions, and to work with untrusting foster children. The bond and movement of the horses creates significant improvement in their riders area of need.

Animal assisted therapy is a highly productive form of cognitive therapy that strives to reduce an individuals stress levels and increase their mental and physical health in the form of companionship. Famous psychologist Sigmund Freud theorized from early on that the presence of his dog during psychoanalysis sessions significantly improved the patient’s mood and comfortability. According to research from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, animal companionship has been seen to lower a person’s heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Bonding annually with over 80,000 people, the organization visits various places such as; hospitals, nursing homes, youth facilities, convalescent homes, and developmentally disabled centers.

Have you ever noticed that when you are not feeling well, your pet will not leave your side? It is almost like they have a sixth sense to illness or anything that you may be inflicting you mentally, emotionally or physically. Those suffering with chronic illnesses, both physically and mentally benefit exponentially from the companionship of a pet. For anyone suffering with a chronic pain disorder, there is nothing essentially that can make you feel better. My mother is a disabled fifty-two year old woman; she suffers from depression, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. If anyone knows about chronic pain…it is her. When discussing this paper with her she said, “Some days I do not know what I would do without Matilda Faithe, she gets me through some of my worst days ("Animals Helping Humans Cope with Pain." Personal interview).” My mother has had Matilda Faithe, her nine year old; over-weight Yorkshire terrier, ever since her doctor suggested that a pet may be beneficial to her health. Nine years later and it has proven to be nothing but true. Having that companion gives her a reason to have to get up and keep moving, even when her body is telling her no. You have another life that is depending on you to get up and feed them and walk them. Just having to do simple tasks such as walking or feeding the dog is keeping her moving. My grandmother, whom suffers from dementia, also lives with my mother and benefits from the day to day help of Matilda Faithe. A pet is something constant in the life of someone suffering from a memory disorder. Not only does this little companion help her mentally, she keeps my frail ninety pound grandmother up and moving as well. This alone is why it is very common for nursing homes to bring in therapy animals for the residents. It not only helps them mentally and physically, but it brings an overwhelming sense of contentment with the interactions they have with

Therapy does not always mean sitting in an office talking to a psychologist. Sometimes it could mean someone going to a dentist appointment with a dog by his or her side or even riding a horse. Animal assisted therapy is treatment focusing on relationships between humans and other animals, and the human-animal bond in clinical and social settings (Giaquinto, 595). Although it has been proven to provide a handful of benefits to different types of people, incorporating animal therapy in public facilities continues to be debated (Ward, 198). Throughout the years, different types of programs have come about to specialize to certain people or groups (Kršková, 51). Animal assisted therapy is a growing subject that can provide major health advantages

As a kid, I always loved animals. My first word was doggie, and there was a little, black toy poodle that lived near my childhood home. There was something about being around animals that drew me to them. It could be that I’m typically an introvert, and talking to an animal does not compare to that of a human being; they are a comfort to me, and I enjoy their company wholly. The first time I read about animals was in a book my Nana gave me called What’s a Dog For? by John Homans. The author told a tragic story of the moral issues and challenges of man’s best friend in our culture through a shelter dog named Stella. By this time, I knew the shocking truth about animal abuse in the world, especially through those painfully tear-jerking commercials. Nonetheless, this book encouraged me throughout my later school career to take advantage of every opportunity to help others who had the same determination in animal care as me, which started with shelters. While there, I not only came to see the joy in the dogs’ eyes when I went to see them but the need

For my twenty percent time project I chose to do a project on therapy dogs. I did this project because I love dogs and helping people. One question I was hoping to have answered was how different people reacted to the dogs and how the dogs reacted or interacted with the people. I had this question answered by a few different people. During this project, I went to an assisted living place named Edgewater. While visiting Edgewater I was with Abigail Watkins, Vikki Yoder and the therapy dog named Shadow. Shadow is a black golden doodle. He is a very well trained dog with lots of experience.