For those of us who have been exposed to animals, we know the impact they have had on our lives. However can the same sense of companionship, unconditional love, and the ability to change ones mood be transferred into therapy?
It can be quite a confusing topic, determining the difference between therapy dogs, assistance dogs and animal assisted therapy. After asking a number of people it seems the general consensus is people associate the above three topics to dogs which help individuals perform a task which they wouldn't be capable of achieving. This isn't necessarily wrong, however there are distinctive deferences between the three.
Pet therapy
This is therapy where personal pets who are trained to bring smiles, joy and therapeutic benefits to those in need.
Here is a link for a video that shows pet therapy in a children's hospital Pet Therapy
Assistance Dogs
This is any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. Assistance dogs aid people with disabilities in their every day life
For example: Guide dogs, hearing dogs, mobility dogs, and epilepsy assist dogs.
Here is a link to the New Zealand Assistance dog trust Website
Here is a great example of what these amazing dogs can do Tribute to an Assistance Dog
Animal Assisted Therapy(AAT)
Is a goal directed intervention in which an animal is incorporated as an integral part of the clinical health care treatment process (Fine, 2006). The aim of AAT is to improve a patients mental, physical, social, and emotional functioning while utilizing the animal as a therapeutic tool (Fine, 2006).
Types of animals used:
*Dogs
*Cats
*Rabbits
*Horses
*Birds
*Dophins
Here is a great example of AAT Payton the wonder dog
I hope this helps to explain the deference between the three therapies.
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Reference List
Fine, A.H. (2010) (Ed.). Handbook on animal-assisted therapy: Theoretical foundation guidelines for practice. USA: Academic Press.
Animal Assisted Therapy within Pediatrics
For the majority of us, we take for granted the ability to be able to read social cues, build relationships, and express ourselves. Can you imagine being confined to the four walls of your hospital bedroom, receiving constant injections and ongoing tests, only to be still connected to a machine, or restrained to a wheel chair.... dealing with all this and your only a child. There are a varity of conditions which affect children, however for the purpose of this post I have selected Autism, Cerebral Palsy, and Cancer to write about.
Autism
According to the American Psychiatric Association (1994) Autism is a profound development disorder characterized by severe impairments in social behavious, and in communication, and by restricted or stereotyped interests and behavious. Within the field of Occupational Therapy, most commonly used framework for treating Autism is sensory integration theory (Watling, Deitz, Kanny, & McLaughlin, 1999). This framework address' how problems with sensory perception and integration interfere with the ablility to attend and respond appropriately to complex stimuli in the environment, making organised behaviour difficult. It was Fortney, Sams and Willenbring's belief that animal assited therapy could be a natural extension of the philosophy of sensory integration. It was this belief which lead to a pilot study involving 22 children diagnosised with Autism, comparing normal Occupational therapy, to therapy including animals. Results indicate the use of language increased and social interaction also increased during therapy involving animals, over therapy without animals. According to Fortney, Sams and Willenbring (2006) the therapist was able to engage creatively with the child and encourage reinforcing activities that facilitated their growth and development at an appropriate level of challenge. The writers propose this may be a result of the natural tendency for children, with and without autism to respond positively to animals within their environment (Fortney, Sams and Willenbring, 2006). Therefore incorporating animals into Occupational Therapy for children with autism provides individuals the ability to interpret and respond to less complex social and behavioural cues of animals. This begins to build a bridge of learning by enabling children to transfer the knowledge of, social and behavioural cues towards the interaction with humans.
Cerebral Palsy
During my second year studying Occupational Therapy in Dunedin, on brisk saturday mornings while every other student was sleeping, my flat mate and I would drag our selfs out of bed, drive towards Mosgiel to our destination. A calm and peaceful valley was where we spent our Saturday mornings volunteering for riding with the disabled. I was amazed and incredibly inspired to see children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) on top of a horse. Naturally, when I picked this topic to blog about, the children with cerebral palsy riding the horses were my first thought. Since my experience during volunteering I have now learnt this........
Cerebral Palsy is a disorder that effects muscle tone, movement and motor skills. According to All, Loving & Crane (1999) Hippotherapy is a common part of AAT, and used frequently for children with CP..... Wait wait wait, not that hippo, the term derived from the latin word hippos, meaning horse. The aim of this intervention is not riding skills but to improve the individuals posture, balance, mobility and function.
Cancer
No child or family should have to suffer through the diagnosis of cancer, or the treatment, but unfortunately childhood cancer is a reality. A side from the primary diagnosis, one of the worst side effects of pediatric cancer is fear, and the stress in which this fear produces, hinders the overall treatment. Therefore reducing fear and stress will have a positive outcome. Accoridng to Bouchard, Landry, belles-Isles & Gagnon (2004) adapting the environment within the hospital by introducing animals, in particular trained dogs, has a significant influence in treatment. This is seen through elevating children and their families mood, motivating active participation, and addressing loneliness.
Wrap up
From children with Autism who are unable to pick out social cues from peers and family members, studies suggest the presence of an animal during therapy has a significant improvement in their overall interpretation of social cues. Children with CP improving their posture, balance and mobility. And children suffering cancer, have an increase in mood due to the involvement with an animal. From physical to psychological benefits it is clear that AAT is a positive influence for children with disabilities.
Here are some clips I found that I just needed to share.
1) The dog who can surf- An incredibly touching video about a dog who was unable to become a service dog, but instead found a purpose allowing children with a disability to do the impossible and surf.
2) Henry- Helps to develop a young boy with Autism.
3) Horses making a difference- An inspiring women talks about the benefits of hippotherapy.
What do you think? Have you seen animals being used in therapy?
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Reference List
All, A. C., Loving, G. L., & Crane, L. L. (1999). Animals, horseback riding, and implications for rehabilition therapy. Journal of Rehabilitation, 65, 49-57.
American Psychiatric Association. 1994. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th Ed. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Bouchard, F., Landry, M., Belles-Isles, M., & Gagnon, J. (2004). A magical dream: A pilot project in animal-assisted therapy in pediatric oncology. Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal, 14(1), 14-17.
Sams, M. J., Fortney, E. V., & Willenbring, S. (2006). Occupational therapy incorporating animals for children with autism: A pilot investigation. American Occupational Therapy Association, 60, 268–274.
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