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Animal-Assisted Therapy

 

 
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Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
 with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical
Body

With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
, social
Social

Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms . It always refers to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence, irrespective of whether they are aware of it or not, and irrespective of whether the interaction is voluntary or involuntary....
, emotion
Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
al, and/or cognitive
Cognition

Cognition is the science term for "the process of thought."Its usage varies in different ways in accord with different disciplines: For example, in psychology and cognitive science it refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological Functionalism s....
 functioning of the patient, as well as provide education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
al and motivation
Motivation

Motivation is the set of reasons that determines one to engage in a particular behavior. The term is generally used for human motivation but, theoretically, it can be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well....
al effectiveness for participants . 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 dog
Dog

The dog is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties....
s, cat
Cat

The cat , also known as the Domestication cat or house cat to distinguish it from other Felinae and Felidae, is a small predationy carnivore species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, scorpions, and other unwanted household pests....
s, elephant
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
s, bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s, dolphin
Dolphin

File:Bottlenose_Dolphin_KSC04pd0178.jpgDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genus....
s, rabbit
Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genus in the family taxonomy as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit ....
s, lizard
Lizard

Lizards are a large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains....
s, and other small animals.






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Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
 with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical
Body

With regard to organism, a body is the integral physical material of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death....
, social
Social

Social refers to a characteristic of living organisms . It always refers to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence, irrespective of whether they are aware of it or not, and irrespective of whether the interaction is voluntary or involuntary....
, emotion
Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
al, and/or cognitive
Cognition

Cognition is the science term for "the process of thought."Its usage varies in different ways in accord with different disciplines: For example, in psychology and cognitive science it refers to an information processing view of an individual's psychological Functionalism s....
 functioning of the patient, as well as provide education
Education

File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpgEducation can be seen as a product or a process and considered in a broad sense or a technical sense. According to philosophy of education George F....
al and motivation
Motivation

Motivation is the set of reasons that determines one to engage in a particular behavior. The term is generally used for human motivation but, theoretically, it can be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well....
al effectiveness for participants . 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 dog
Dog

The dog is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties....
s, cat
Cat

The cat , also known as the Domestication cat or house cat to distinguish it from other Felinae and Felidae, is a small predationy carnivore species of crepuscular mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin, snakes, scorpions, and other unwanted household pests....
s, elephant
Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals of the order Proboscidea and the family Elephantidae. There are three living species: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant ....
s, bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s, dolphin
Dolphin

File:Bottlenose_Dolphin_KSC04pd0178.jpgDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genus....
s, rabbit
Rabbit

Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. There are seven different genus in the family taxonomy as rabbits, including the European rabbit , Cottontail rabbit , and the Amami rabbit ....
s, lizard
Lizard

Lizards are a large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains....
s, and other small animals. AAT with horse
Horse

The horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolution of the horse over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, odd-toed ungulate animal of today....
s is known specifically as equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), equine-assisted creative living (EACL), equine-assisted personal development (EAPD) or hippotherapy
Hippotherapy

According to the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc., "Hippotherapy" is a physical, occupational and speech therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement."...
.

Benefits

People who have pet
PET

The term pet typically refers to a pet.PET may also refer to:...
s benefit in various ways, for example, the comfort of physical contact with animals, reducing loneliness
Loneliness

Loneliness is a feeling where people experience a powerful surge of emptiness and solitude. Loneliness is more than the feeling of wanting Interpersonal relationship or wanting to do something with another person....
, and increased opportunities for meeting others, via the pets. In addition, caring for pets encourages nurturance, responsibility, and adherence to a daily schedule.

Physical

  • Improve fine motor skill
    Motor skill

    A motor skill is a learned series of movements that combine to produce a smooth, efficient action.* Gross motor skills include lifting one's head, rolling over, sitting up, balancing, crawling, and walking....
    s.
  • Improve wheelchair
    Wheelchair

    A wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. The device is propelled either manually or via various automated systems. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness , injury, or disability....
     skills.
  • Improve standing equilibrioception
    Equilibrioception

    Equilibrioception or sense of balance is one of the physiology senses. It helps prevent humans and animals from falling over when walking or standing still....
     (balance).
May lower blood pressure, risk for stroke or heartattack, and decrease depression.

Mental

A 2007 meta-analysis
Meta-analysis

In statistics, a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses. This is normally done by identification of a common measure of effect size, which is modelled using a form of meta-regression....
 found that animal-assisted therapy is associated with moderate effect sizes in improving outcomes in autism spectrum
Autism spectrum

The autism spectrum, also called autism spectrum disorders or autism spectrum conditions , with the word autistic sometimes replacing autism, is a spectrum disorder characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavio...
 symptoms, medical difficulties, behavioral problems, and emotional well-being.

  • Increase verbal interactions between group members.
  • Increase attention skills (i.e., paying attention, staying on task).
  • Develop leisure/recreation
    Recreation

    Recreation or fun is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's body or mind. While leisure is more likely a form of entertainment or rest, recreation is active for the participant but in a refreshing and diverting manner....
     skills.
  • Increase self-esteem
    Self-esteem

    In psychology, self-esteem reflects a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth.Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions ....
    .
  • Reduce anxiety
    Anxiety

    Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry....
    .
  • Reduce loneliness.


Educational

  • Increase vocabulary
    Vocabulary

    A person's vocabulary is the set of words they are familiar with in a language. A vocabulary usually grows and evolves with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and learning....
    .
  • Aid in long- or short-term memory
    Memory

    In psychology, memory is an organism's mental ability to store, retain and recall information. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of mnemonic....
    .
  • Improve knowledge of concepts, such as size, color, etc.


Motivational

  • Improve willingness to be involved in a group activity.
  • Improve interactions with others.
  • Improve interactions with staff.


Criticism

Researchers at Emory University
Emory University

Emory University is a private university located in the metropolitan area of the city of Atlanta, Georgia in western unincorporated area DeKalb County, Georgia, Georgia , United States....
 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.

Further reading

  • Learning More, (2006). . Retrieved April 9, 2006.


  • Oakley, Dawn., and Bardin, Gail., . Retrieved April 9, 2006.


  • 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.


External links

- Online certificate program in AAT at GoodTherapy.org Ekuus was created with intent to advance psychological recovery of those who suffer from the trauma caused by sexual abuse.