The effects of Animal Assisted Therapy for children with special needs

Running Head : Animal Assisted Therapy

The Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on

Children with Physical and Emotional Diss

Student Name

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The Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on

Children with Physical and Emotional Diss

Introduction

Animal assisted therapy has been used to treat a variety of physical and psychological diss in children with special needs . Animal assisted therapy is defined as the use of animals such as , cats , dogs and birds to treat children who have not had success with traditional therapy methods . This therapy is often used

with children who have been severely traumatized by severe abuse and neglect . Another area in which animal assisted therapy is commonly used is in the treatment of children with physical and mental disabilities . These difficulties range from conduct dis , quadriplegia and blindness to autism and learning disabilities such as dyslexia . This therapy allows children who have physical and mental disabilities to improve social skills in a safe and secure environment

The use of animal assisted therapy is a crucial tool for a therapist to help children who have psychological problems , or physical and mental disabilities . Animal assisted therapy has been useful in the treatment of children with difficulty verbalizing , such as those who are deaf , or who experience low- functioning autism . It is also effective in therapy for children with conduct dis caused by emotional trauma . Animal assisted therapy has allowed therapist to help children who otherwise may not have the opportunity to deal with their problems in a therapeutic situation

Literature Review

One of the main uses for animal-assisted therapy has been in the treatment of children with autism . According to McNicolas and Collis (1995 , animal assisted therapies have been used to treat non-verbal children with autism . Autistic children frequently exhibit difficulty in forming social attachments with family and peers however evidence has shown that autistic children can form meaningful relationships with animals . McNicolas and Collis (1995 ) state that it is difficult to obtain quantitative data regarding the success of animal assisted therapy . However , it is possible to obtain some qualitative data with observation techniques , and parental interviews

According to McNicolas and Collis (1995 , parental interviews are the most effective research tool because parents of autistic children know what is seen as normal behavior for their child . McNicolas and Collis (1995 ) performed in-depth interviews and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale in to determine what level of autism was demonstrated by the participants in their stud . The participants ranged from severely to moderately autistic and many participants had exhibited aggressive behaviors in social situations involving family members and peers

McNicolas and Collis (1995 ) interviewed the mothers of the participants in to assess how children responded to an introductory therapy session with animals being used in an animal assisted therapy session When interviewed the parents of the participants indicated that the children had demonstrated several behavior changes in their interactions with the therapy animals , and with the people that were present in the room as well . The behaviors that McNicolas and...