Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants ^[1]. AAT can be provided on an individual or group basis. During AAT, therapists document records and evaluate the participant's progress.

Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, elephants, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, and other small animals. Such animals are often referred to as comfort animals. AAT with horses is known specifically as equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), equine-assisted creative living (EACL), equine-assisted personal development (EAPD) or hippotherapy.

[edit] Benefits

[edit] Physical

• Improve fine motor skills.^{[citation needed]}
• Improve wheelchair skills.^{[citation needed]}
• Improve standing equilibrioception (balance).^{[citation needed]}

May lower blood pressure, risk for stroke or heartattack, and decrease depression.

[edit] Mental

A 2007 meta-analysis found that animal-assisted therapy is associated with moderate effect sizes in improving outcomes in autism spectrum symptoms, medical difficulties, behavioral problems, and emotional well-being.^[2]

• Increase verbal interactions among group members.
• Increase attention skills (i.e., paying attention, staying on task).
• Develop leisure/recreation skills.
• Increase self-esteem.
• Reduce anxiety.
• Reduce loneliness.

[edit] Educational

• Increase vocabulary.^{[citation needed]}
• Aid in long- or short-term memory.^{[citation needed]}
• Improve knowledge of concepts, such as size, color, etc.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Motivational

• Improve willingness to be involved in a group activity.^{[citation needed]}
• Improve interactions with others.^{[citation needed]}
• Improve interactions with staff.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Criticism

Researchers at Emory University have concluded that Dolphin Assisted Therapy is "...a dangerous fad." and lacks any real efficacy. Furthermore, the practice of capturing dolphins can leave more injured or even dead.^[3]

[edit] History

During World War II, as a Corporal William Wynne was recovering in an Army Hospital in the Philippines, his pals brought his Yorkshire Terrier, Smoky, to the hospital to cheer the soldier up. Smoky immediately became such a hit with the other wounded soldiers that the Commanding Officer of the Hospital unit, Dr. Charles Mayo, of the now famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, decided to take Smoky on his rounds. Smoky's work as a therapy dog continued for 12 years, during and after World War II.

The establishment of a systematic approach to the use of therapy dogs is attributed to Elaine Smith, an American who worked as a registered nurse for a time in England. Smith noticed how well patients responded to visits by a certain chaplain and his canine companion, a Golden Retriever. Upon returning to the United States in 1976, Smith started a program for training dogs to visit institutions. Over the years other health care professionals have noticed and documented the therapeutic effect of animal companionship, such as relieving stress, lowering blood pressure, and raising spirits. In recent years, therapy dogs have been enlisted to help children overcome speech and emotional disorders.

In 1982, Nancy Stanley, a San Diego mother of two, founded a non-profit organization called TLZ (Tender Loving Zoo). She got the idea while working as a volunteer in the Los Angeles Zoo, where she noticed how handicapped visitors responded eagerly to animals. She later read an article about the beneficial effects that animals can have on patients. Soon thereafter, she began taking her pet miniature poodle, Freeway, to the Revere Developmental Center for the severely handicapped.

Inspired by the response of the patients and the encouragement of the staff, she took $7,500 of her own money, bought a van, recruited helpers, and persuaded a pet store to lend baby animals of all kinds to the cause. Partly as a result of Ms. Stanley's work, the concept of dog-therapy has broadened to "animal-assisted therapy", including many other species, such as therapy cats, therapy rabbits, therapy birds and so on.^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Barker, S., & Dawson, K. (1998). The effects of animal-assisted therapy on the anxiety ratings of hospitalized psychiatric patients. Psychiatric Services, 49, 797-801.
• Howie, Ann R., (2000). The Human-Animal Health Connection Pet Partners Team Training Course Manual 5th Ed. Delta Society, Renton, WA.
• Howie, Ann R., (2000, 2006). "Starting a Visiting-Animal Group" Providence St. Peter Foundation, Olympia, WA.
• Learning More, (2006). Aqua Thought Foundation. Retrieved April 9, 2006.
• Oakley, Dawn., and Bardin, Gail., The Potential Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy for Children With Special Needs. Retrieved April 9, 2006.

[edit] External links

• Rebecca Skloot, "Creature Comforts", New York Times, December 31, 2008
• Equine Guided Education Association
• The Alpha Society, Inc., Tampa, FL
• Delta Society - The Human-Animal Health Connection
• HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response - "Comfort in times of crises"
• Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.)
• Animal Behavior Institute - Online certificate program in AAT
• Animal Therapy.net - Animal-Assisted Therapy
• Common Ties - Pet Therapy with a wildcat
• Equine-Facilitated Mental Health Assoc. - EFMHA
• Holistic Online - Pet Therapy
• Animal Chaplains - Interfaith Animal Clergy
• Therapet - Animal-Assisted Therapy
• Human-Animal Solutions provides animal-assisted therapy as well as training
• Archive of Personal Accounts of Dolphin Therapy
• Elephant Therapy
• Equine Assisted Psychotherapy - "Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association"
• equine assisted creative living
• Equine Guided Education classes and Equine Guided Educator training
• Animal Assisted Creative Learning
• /Canine Crisis Response/Animal Assisted Crisis Response
• MN LINC - MN Linking Individuals, Nature & Critters - AAT in mental health and education
• Caring Canine Professor Dogs and Doctor Dogs
• MN Therapy Animals Resource/Reference site
• Ekuus Foundation - Therapy Resort with horses, for sexually abused victims Ekuus was created with intent to advance psychological recovery of those who suffer from the trauma caused by sexual abuse.
• Therapy Dogs United, Inc., promotes the animal-to-human bond through animal-assisted therapy
• Ark Animals provides resources and commentary on animal therapy, animal training, and related topics
• Canine Assisted Therapy, Inc.