Animal Assisted Therapy Intervention Paper

Trained dogs can be introduced to Frank to keep an eye on him to alert staff/carers if he wanders off the residential home and can reduce strains. This can be problematic if animals are not allowed on the premises of the residential home or other clients are allergic to animals. Similarly, Frank can visit the zoo with family/friends from the residential home when he has been risk assessed to use Zima frame or wheelchair and included in his care plan to promote recovery and social inclusion (Norman and Ryrie,

Equine-assisted therapy. The use of equine-assisted therapy has been proposed as a method for facilitating positive sensory experiences for children with autism. A doctoral dissertation by Stickney (2010) finds that “the consistent, rhythmic movement of the horse as well as its warmth, appearance, smell, and furry coat sends an array of sensory signals to the central nervous system, affecting motor, visual, proprioceptive, tactile, and vestibular systems that are necessary for development of motor control” (p. 33). Preliminary research studies indicate that the experience of riding a horse can improve motor function, posture, balance, and reaction time. This can encourage positive sensory experiences, which causes the brain to release chemicals

Animal Assisted Therapy also known as animal-assisted therapy has been formally introduced to the world in the last ten years or so. Although animals have always been a place of comfort for a lot of people, scientists just began to realize the impact animals have on society. The world has begun to experiment with what animals can do to benefit human health. The most common type of animal-assisted therapy is equine-assisted therapy. Equines are horses. Equine-assisted therapy 's impact on minors who have mental health issues have led to a successful new type of therapy that includes multiple benefits. Equine-assisted therapy has worked well in is treating adolescents and children how to communicate and connect with others. Two big issues that animal-assisted therapy has been known to help is Autism and kids with attachment and social problems.

Medical professionals have recently seen the positive effects animals are able to provide to their patients with mental disabilities. The emotional support dog MA recognizes

Nepps, & Bruckno, (2014) and Souter & Miller,(2007) results were determined by pre/ post questionnaires and scales that viewed each participant mood before and after each session to see the outcome and effectiveness. It showed a dramatic increase in mood. It was also shown that that therapeutic alliance is enhanced with the addition of a therapy dog within a group setting with adult clients in a residential drug abuse treatment setting. Animal assisted therapy has also been shown to reduce feelings of anger and symptoms of PTSD, which can contribute to an overall improvement of mood and reduce depressive

Have you ever noticed that when you are not feeling well, your pet will not leave your side? It is almost like they have a sixth sense to illness or anything that you may be inflicting you mentally, emotionally or physically. Those suffering with chronic illnesses, both physically and mentally benefit exponentially from the companionship of a pet. For anyone suffering with a chronic pain disorder, there is nothing essentially that can make you feel better. My mother is a disabled fifty-two year old woman; she suffers from depression, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia. If anyone knows about chronic pain…it is her. When discussing this paper with her she said, “Some days I do not know what I would do without Matilda Faithe, she gets me through some of my worst days ("Animals Helping Humans Cope with Pain." Personal interview).” My mother has had Matilda Faithe, her nine year old; over-weight Yorkshire terrier, ever since her doctor suggested that a pet may be beneficial to her health. Nine years later and it has proven to be nothing but true. Having that companion gives her a reason to have to get up and keep moving, even when her body is telling her no. You have another life that is depending on you to get up and feed them and walk them. Just having to do simple tasks such as walking or feeding the dog is keeping her moving. My grandmother, whom suffers from dementia, also lives with my mother and benefits from the day to day help of Matilda Faithe. A pet is something constant in the life of someone suffering from a memory disorder. Not only does this little companion help her mentally, she keeps my frail ninety pound grandmother up and moving as well. This alone is why it is very common for nursing homes to bring in therapy animals for the residents. It not only helps them mentally and physically, but it brings an overwhelming sense of contentment with the interactions they have with

Whitebird, R., Kreitzer, M., Crain, L., Lewis, B. A., Hanson, L. R., & Enstad, C. J. (2011). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for family caregivers: A randomized controlled trial. The Gerontologist, 53(4), 676-686. doi:

Animal-assisted interventions have also been proposed as a method to improve social interactions and communication skills in children with autism. Supporters of animals improving social competence find that children have a natural connection with animals that may help to facilitate communication skills, which are often a challenging skill to improve in children with ASD. Solomon (2015) advocates for the inclusion of animals in structured interactions with the child, because “there are indications that some people diagnosed with ASD ‘are’ more companion-able and more response-able when their interactions with animals are enfolded into interactions with people” (p. 327). She describes these structured interactions for children with ASD through

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, or depression, amongst many other disabilities deserve to be acknowledged because of the medical advancements in the past several years which support the effectiveness of service animals. These disabilities affect the everyday lives of thousands of people throughout the United States, which is why I believe that service animals can be a beneficial component that may boost a person’s endurance. In the article, Service Dog Training Program for Treatment of PTSD in Service Members, a study written with the United States Army, results concluded that service animals were deemed effective in their practices. The article reports that veterans and service members had an “increase in patience, impulse control, [and] emotional regulation” (Yount, et al.). As a helpful practice for disabled persons, it is a civil injustice to discriminate against a person with a service dog. To neglect a disabled person’s accessibility to basic public services in modern society is a violation of human rights. I think that the lack of accommodations for service animals and their handlers is an overlooked issue in society, which is why I believe that my research is a relevant issue in modern

Questions arise concerning the treatment of therapy dogs when visiting patients and whether animal-assisted therapy really works at all; however, those who disagree aren’t looking at the big picture. Animal-assisted therapy is both an ethical and effective therapy method due to its success in treating those with chronic diseases, disorders, and managing stress and anxiety. The varieties of cases regarding the success of therapy dog treatments far surmount the amount of cases saying otherwise. Animal-assisted therapy stems from the human-animal connection, one of the most unique and powerful bonds man has ever experienced. It is that connection that allows animal assisted therapy to be a critical part of everyone’s daily

Imagine you were in a hospital suffering from depression and your doctors mentioning pet therapy and you decide to try it out. Your doctor arranges for you to meet with someone in the morning to tell you all about it. Soon after that, a dog and its handler visit you in your room and you are invited to pet the dog, play with it, and ask questions to the owner. After the visit, you realize you're smiling, less tired, and more optimistic, and you can't wait to tell your friends and family about it and can't wait for tomorrow to see the dog again. This is called pet therapy. Because pet therapy is popular today people should understand the physical, mental, and social benefits before making a decision.

With limited empirical research supporting the use and effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy, it is reasonable to suggest that the costs of implementing AAT into occupational therapy are not worth the benefits. Occupational therapy modalities are already effective at treating patients with many different disabilities and/or disorders—integrating a new type of therapy into occupational therapy is less convenient and more expensive than leaving an already effective therapy as is.

According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), about one in every 68 children is identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a developmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties in communication, social interactions, and behaviors. Though many are aware of the social symptoms of ASD, the DSM-V added the symptom of “hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory stimuli or unusual interest in the sensory aspects of the environment, for example, apparent indifference to pain/temperature [or] adverse response to specific sounds or textures” (Fuentes et al. 2014). Another symptom of ASD that many may be unfamiliar with is the major safety concern of elopement, which is dangerous bolting, that

Psychotherapist Jay Granat believes part of the benefit of pet therapy lies in an animals outlook on life. "Dogs—and other pets—live very much in the here and now. They don't worry about tomorrow. And tomorrow can be very scary for an older person. By having an animal with that sense of now, it tends to rub off on people." By focusing on the positive and pleasant conditions associated with pet therapy, anxiety, depression, and the many negative effects of these conditions are lessened. Even pain seems to fade during pet therapy sessions.

In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.