Therapeutic Effects of Animals - The Use of Animals in Therapy

For many years, the use of pets in therapeutic or human assistance roles has been warmly accepted by most.  When we see a dog, helping a human make it through their day, we can’t help but marvel at the intelligence, sensitivity and selfless nature of the animal.  But animals do more than help with daily life tasks; according to the CDC they help decrease feelings of loneliness, decrease your blood pressure and cholesterol, plus they provide opportunities for socialization and exercise.

The therapeutic role of animals and the types of animals being used has broadened immensely within the last 25 years.  Pets are now being used to help children with behavior issues, dyslexia, ADHD, and autism.

DOGS
Autism 
Pet therapy was first used by psychiatrist Boris Levison in 1953   who used a dog to work with a child with autism.  Dr. Levinson found the dog provided the child the opportunity to experience internal and external sensations – something the child could not do with people.

A movie called “After Thomas” popularized the notion of using pets – particularly dogs for children with autism.  The boy in the movie (and in real life) only spoke in echolalic style sentences and was beyond the reach of his parents.  He often wandered and got into dangerous situations.  His parents considered schools where they could send their child and hopefully see a shift in his behavior, demeanor, socialization and verbalization.
 
 

At the suggestion of the boy’s grandmother, the family decided to adopt a dog, whom the boy named after a character in the Thomas the Tank Engine series.  The child flourished as a result of his bond with their pet dog.  He is now described as a confident, friendly teenager who plays guitar in a band and also does volunteer work.

According to Autism Service Dogs of America, service dogs provide the person with autism to safely access different environments which result in improvements in both communication and social skills.  Parents note that their children’s focus and length of attention span improves, they experience gains in abstract and concrete thinking,  and decreased emotional outbursts .  In addition, dogs can help with basic safety issues, such as slowing children down when running and protecting them from running into the street.

Dyslexia and Delayed Reading
Children with dyslexia or difficulty reading are often hesitant to read aloud for fear of being judged and feeling embarrassed.  But these same children often times feel at ease around a dog who is there just to listen to the story – not to critique their reading abilities.  Parents, teachers, and librarians note that the confidence brought to children could result in better grades and happier children.   Some parents are already reporting such results    and Intermountain Therapy reports that children who participated in a 13 month program increased their reading level by 2 grade levels and some increased 4 grade levels.
Reading dogs are making their way into schools, libraries, and after-school venues as well.  According to Intermountain Therapy Animals, the nonprofit group that created the program, there are 1400 registered teams in 49 states.  This is up from 750 teams in 45 states in the year 2005.  

According to R.E.A.D. (Reading Education Assisted Dogs) children participating in the program make enormous strides in reading and communication skills.  They also experience a boost in their self-esteem, confidence, and social skills. They also note better performance in other subjects and better school attendance.

ADHD
In 2002, the American Psychiatric Association reported on a new type of therapy for ADHD children that utilized dogs in therapy sessions.  One M.D., Dr. Rachel Fleissner uses trained Australian shipyards to interact with children who were diagnosed with psychiatric disorders.   Dr. Fleissner uses her dogs to teach behavioral modification techniques to children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their parents .  Rochelle Klinger, M.D. also reports good results using therapy dogs with schizophrenic patients as well as other psychiatric patients .

Organizations such as Caring Canines Therapy Dogs, have dogs that visit libraries and child-care centers.  Their dogs help to calm down hyperactive children and also help children learn to read.  In addition, Highland Canine reports that the dogs provide a focal point that help children focus on the here and now, allowing the children to be more productive in a given task or activity  and playing with the dog also provides a good incentive for finishing homework.

By providing a focal point to help them center on the task at hand, they can be more productive in any task or activity in which they are involved including a child’s school lesson. Playing with the dog can be a reward for finishing homework or problem solving. The handler and the dog can use retrieving and scent discrimination to help children name colors, add numbers, spell words and work on physical skills.

Dolphins
Psychologist, David Nathanson first tried Dolphin therapy in the 1970s . He conducted studies and found that children with learning problems learned faster and retained information longer once they began dolphin therapy.  Dr. Nathanson believed interacting with dolphins increased a child's attention, enhancing their cognitive processes.
 

According to the Henry Spink Foundation Research Information Center in London, the goal of dolphin therapy is to increase sensory activities. Children are accompanied by therapist and are asked swim, touch, and feed or pat the animals. Therapists target areas such as speech, behaviors, and motor skills. 

The foundation states that dolphin therapy alleviates some symptoms associated with children conditions by enhancing their healing process.  Children’s blood samples were analyzed prior to and after therapy; the results showed that after swimming with dolphins there was a change of hormones, endorphins, and enzymes as well as T-cells .  They state there is ongoing research in universities and dolphin research centers but the evidence that dolphin therapy works remains anecdotal.

The JF2 Dolphin Project has also had success in Florida offering sessions to children with speech, language, and other learning issues.  They have conducted a number of studies demonstrating improved expressive language, communication skills, attention, and time on task.

Horses
ADHD

Focus, concentration, multi-tasking, sequencing, and memory are some of the reported benefits from Equine therapy and children with ADHD. 

A study performed by Arizona State University found that children with ADHD who rode horses demonstrated significantly greater improvements in reaction time, movement time, self-esteem, reduced depression, and decreased anxiety when compared to non-riders .

Horses have also provided a unique setting for group ADHD therapy that requires children to interact with one another in order to help the horse through a given scenario.  For instance, if the children are helping the horse through an obstacle course, they need to communicate with one another, be supportive, and handle their emotions.

Autism
Horses have also been gaining popularity for therapeutic use for children with autism.  A small pilot study was conducted by SpiritHorse Therapeutic Riding, with ten children – five with a diagnosis of autism and five whom were neurotypical.  The children with autism had difficulty with balance when they were riding in a clockwise direction (28 incidences) and almost none when they were riding in a counter-clockwise direction (2 incidences).  After 12 weekly therapy lessons, all of the children with autism were equally balanced .  The neurotypical children were balanced at the on-set of the study.

This same group also performed a study with children with autism that required the children to weave in and out of traffic cones while on their horse.  They discovered these children missed their right turns five times as often as their left turns.  Again, after twelve weekly therapy sessions, the children missed very few turns in either direction and there was no longer a dominate side.  The medical advisors of SpiritHorse believe that synapses are being built in the left-hemisphere and under-connectivity in the left-hemisphere is being corrected through equine therapy.  

Online Resources:

Canine Reading Programs
National Animal Assisted Therapy Directory
Autsim Service Dogs of America

North Star Dogs

Dolphin Therapy

Equine Therapy including medical research and articles
Guidelines for choosing an appropriate pet for your family
 

Books
Afternoons with Puppy-Inspirations from a Therapist and his Animals byAubrey Fine and Cythia Eisen has many success stories of animals helping to heal children including a story of a child with ADHD who was helped by a dog.  The child was described as isolated and melancholy and was finally able to communicate his feelings after he began treatment with the therapist’s dog.

Animal Assisted Therapy in Counseling by Cynthia Chandler provides direction on how to select, train, and asses an animal for therapy work.  Included are guidelines for establishing a university-based program for AAT training, sample forms for screening clients and recording session data as well as a series of illustrations to implement some of the AAT techniques.

References