Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a structured, goal-oriented type of psychotherapy that usually takes place over multiple sessions. The animal promotes the quality and strength of the collaborative relationship between the client and the therapist. (Ang & MacDougall, 2022).
AAT has become increasingly popular when it comes to children with ASD. Therapists are able to form stronger therapeutic connections with children when animals are around.
Research done across French interventional facilities found that animals were used extensively as a complementary intervention, and various animal species such as dogs and horses were used (Peyroutet & Grandgeorge, 2018). Benefits such as enhanced well-being, self-esteem and socialisation were reported.
Types of animal-assisted therapy:
Dogs are most commonly used animals in the therapeutic setting due to their social and affectionate nature. However, other animals such as cats, guinea pigs, horses and dolphins can be used too.
The benefits of animal-assisted therapy for children with ASD:
Children with ASD can benefit from time with a trained dog as playing with a dog can help a child with ASD self-soothe (Turner, 2011). Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) involves interaction with a horse, and it can be beneficial for the child both emotionally and socially. Trzmiel et al. (2019) found that horseback riding is a useful form of therapy in children with ASD, and Kern et al. (2011) added that this helps improve low moods in participants by building self-confidence. Furthermore, Dawson et al. (2022) found that social functioning improved over the period of 15 weeks of EAT intervention, providing further support for this therapy. Although less common, guinea pigs have also been used and studied in animal-assisted therapy. Talarovičová, Olexová & Kršková (2010) found that having a small therapy animal, in this study – a guinea pig, can positively impact the quality of the social interactions of children with ASD. One way that guinea pigs can be used is as an animal facilitator between the child with ASD and typically-developing children in Animal-Assisted Activities (Rand, 2017).
Increase in communication
Studies done by Al-Hamouz & Arabiat (2015), Gabriels et al. (2015) and Tan & Simmonds (2018) found that EAT can help to increase communication in children with ASD. Al-Hamouz & Arabiat (2015) found growth in communication in the form of expanded vocabularies, sentence length and sustained directed attention after a 12-week intervention involving horse riding. Gabriels et al. (2017) focused on number of words spoken and new words spoken, and similar positive results were found. One parent in Tan & Simmonds (2017) reported that their child spoke more and asked more uestions after EAT.
Improved social functioning
There are many studies that have determined that EAT can improve social functioning and the interpersonal relationships a child with ASD can have. The THR group showed significant improvements on Social Cognition and Communication, as well as large increases in the number of words and new and varied words spoken. This might be because nonverbal joint-attention or a shared attention experience is needed to engage in therapeutic riding activities requires cooperating with a horse, and that may result in positive behaviours and enhanced social-communication skills in children with ASD (Gabriels et al., 2016).
Improved social skills
Al-Hamouz (2015) Found a significant improvement in social functioning in the group that attended EAT compared to the group that did not, and a milder effect on motor abilities was also observed. This study also indicated that executive functioning also improved, and supports the use of animal-assisted intervention programmes as complementary intervention strategies for children with ASD.
While Tepper et al. (2022) found that the children did not actively interact with the dog often, they suggested that the children were calm in the presence of the therapy dog, as they were more likely to remain stationary than engage in physical activity.
In conclusion, there are many benefits that Animal-assisted therapy, but there are also some considerations that parents should note before deciding to enrol their child in animal-assisted therapy, for example, cost of the therapy, as many of these therapies tend to be quite expensive, geographical accessibility (for example, equine-assisted therapy would require going to a stable or where one can find horses), and time-constraints. Ultimately, animal-assisted therapy is a good complementary intervention that parents can consider to improve the social and overall wellbeing of their child with ASD.
Written by: Yock Kim
References
Al-Hmouz, H. h. g. c., & Arabiat, A. (2015). Therapeutic Horseback Riding and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of the International Association of Special Education, 16(1), 42-50.
Ang, C. S., & MacDougall, F. A. (2022). An Evaluation of Animal-Assisted Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders: Therapist and Parent Perspectives. Psychological Studies/Psychological Studies, 67(1), 72–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-022-00647-w
Dawson, S., McCormick, B., Tamas, D., Stanojevic, C., Eldridge, L., McIntire, J., Bowen, A., & McKissock, H. B. (2022). Equine-Assisted Therapy with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Serbia and the United States: A Pilot Intervention. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 56(1). https://doi.org/10.18666/trj-2022-v56-i1-10387
Gabriels, R. L., Pan, Z., Dechant, B., Agnew, J. A., Brim, N., & Mesibov, G. (2015). New research: Randomized Controlled Trial of Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54, 541-549. doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2015.04.007
Rand, D. (2017). An Animal-Assisted Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Guinea pigs in the Classroom Growing Scientific Support for the Effectiveness of Animal-Assisted Interventions. The Latham Letter. 38(3). 17-19.
Kern, J. K., Fletcher, C. L., Garver, C. R., Mehta, J. A., Grannemann, B. D., Knox, K. R., Richardson, T. A., & Trivedi, M. H. (2011). Prospective trial of equine-assisted activities in autism spectrum disorder. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 17(3), 14–20.
Philippe-Peyroutet, C. and Grandgeorge, M. (2018) "Animal-Assisted Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Survey of French Facilities," People and Animals: %e International Journal of Research and Practice: 1(1) , Article 8. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/paij/vol1/iss1/8
Talarovičová, A., Olexová, L., & Kršková, L. (2010). Guinea pigs—The “Small Great” Therapist for Autistic Children, or: Do Guinea Pigs Have Positive Effects on Autistic Child Social Behavior? Society & Animals, 18(2), 139–151. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853010x491999
Tan, V. X.-L., & Simmonds, J. G. (2018). Parent Perceptions of Psychosocial Outcomes of Equine-Assisted Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 459-469. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3399-3
Tepper, D. L., Landry, O., Howell, T. J., Stephens, D., Molina, J., & Bennett, P. C. (2022). Therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder: Impacts of active versus passive dog engagement. Human Animal Interactions Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2022.0010
Trzmiel, T., Purandare, B., Michalak, M., Zasadzka, E., & Pawlaczyk, M. (2019). Equine assisted activities and therapies in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and a meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 42, 104–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2018.11.004
Turner, J. "Animal Assisted Therapy and Autism Intervention: A Synthesis of the Literature" (2011). Research Papers. Paper 119. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/119
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