Adams, Nena. "Merope Pavlides: Animal-Assisted Interventions for Individuals with Autism." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 40, no. 1, 2010, pp. 132-133, Family Health Database; Research Library, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0793-5.
Merope Pavlides knows how to incorporate the needs and interests of several audiences as she is a pet owner, dog trainer, former horse therapy instructor, and mother of a child with autism. Animals have assisted humans for many years. From a dog leading the blind to a docile horse helping a child with cerebral palsy strengthen their legs. This article will help me support my thesis because it explains how service animals can also help children with autism relax in public settings.
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Duchowny, and Maria M. Llabre. "The Effect of Therapeutic Horseback Riding on Social Functioning in Children with Autism." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 39, no. 9, 2009, pp. 1261-7, Family Health Database; Research Library, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-009-0734-3.
Bass works at Good Hope Equestrian Training Center in Homestead, FL. Duchowny and Llabre are professors at the University of Miami. This study evaluated the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on social functioning in children with autism. Autistic children exposed to therapeutic horseback riding showed improvement in their motor skills and also in their communication skills. This study provides evidence for my essay that therapeutic horseback riding strengthens skills for children with autism.
Huss, Rebecca J., Why Context Matters: Defining Service Animals Under Federal Law (February 5, 2010). Pepperdine Law Review, Vol. 37, p. 1163, 2010; Valparaiso University Legal Studies Research Paper No. 10-02. Available at SSRN:
Development of social skills is very important for children that are diagnosed with autism because of ...
Have you ever had the pleasure of sitting beside an animal on the Skytrain on your commute to work or stood in line beside one at the grocery store? Did you know that there's a difference between service dogs and emotional-support animals? These are one of the many struggles that individuals are faced when in public. The article "Pets Allowed" written by Patricia Marx gives you an inside look on the struggles people are faced with while also explaining the rules and laws regulating emotional-support animals that many aren't aware of. Many business owners are being taken advantage of by pet
United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Library. Animal Welfare Act. 8 April 2014. 14 April 2014.
This book was a great read. The heartwarming tale of two young children who manage to overcome the disability under the category of autism. The author, the mother of these two children, uses her language to make the reader feel connected with the struggles of the family and the elated feeling when the children are deemed functioning within normal levels. This book gives insight on several different therapies, some that seemed helpful and others that seemed silly. It touches on the subject of inclusion as well. This book allows individuals to relate to those who have children with autism and gives parents of children with autism hope that their child's disability is not a permanent one.
The Case of Temple Grandin paints a picture of a young woman’s determination and hard work while struggling with autism during a time when the disorder was unknown. This case discusses Grandin’s challenges, early diagnosis, growth and development in school, and support from her mother. Temple Grandin could not speak like the other children at the age of two, so because doctors could not find any physical issues she had been subsequently labeled as brain-damaged. To communicate with others, she would throw tantrums and scream. She could speak by three and a half years old with the help of speech therapy. A few years later at the age of five, Grandin was diagnosed with autism so her mother worked with her 30 minutes every day to keep her from being placed in an institution. At her aunt’s ranch, Grandin develops the “squeeze machine” a device used to apply pressure without being stimulating. Grandin excelles in school and receives her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College in 1970. After her graduation from college in 1970, Grandin attends Arizona State University where she earns a master’s degree in cattle in 1975. In 1989, Grandin earns her doctoral degree from the University of Urbana-Champaign in animal science. Grandin has never married, but she is proof that individuals with autism can lead productive and notable lives (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009).
Equine-assisted therapy, also known as equine therapy or equestrian therapy, is a type of animal-assisted therapy intended to teach, counsel, and/or rehabilitate people with disabilities. This type of experiential therapy includes activities such as: grooming and caring for, haltering and leading, tacking up, and riding horses. Each of those activities foster interactions between the rider or patient, and horse, building a bond between the human and horse. In a typical equestrian therapy setting, usually a dedicated therapeutic barn, a mental health professional and/or an “equine therapist can observe and interact with the patient in order to identify behavior patterns and process thoughts and emotions” (“What Is Equine Therapy?”). In some
As of 2011, it has been reported that there are 650 million disabled people in the world (“Disabilities”). Though this number is high, it is greatly underestimated because disabled people are commonly isolated and stigmatized by their community (“Disabilities”). After hearing of this extremely high number of disabled people, I then ultimately decided I would write my research paper on ways to help the disabled. Therapeutic riding has been actively helping individuals with disabilities for decades, and can benefit these unfortunate people physically, mentally, and emotionally. “Therapeutic riding, which originated in Europe, has been actively helping individuals with disabilities since the 1950's” (Shepard). Through equine-orientated activities, therapeutic riding is used to contribute to the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social well being of people with emotional issues and disabilities (Shepard). I was astonished on how many ways therapeutic riding can benefit disabled people.
The mental impairments a child may have can successfully be helped greatly by therapeutic horseback riding, while riding one may learn to speak certain words they have not been able to before, or could even help a stutter or a lisp.
Bass, M., Duchowny, C., & Llabre, M. (2009). The effect of therapeutic horseback riding on social functioning in children with autism. Journal Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 39(9), 1261-1267.
Most people are familiar with service dogs and have seen them in action. Animal-assisted therapy is similar service animals in that an animal-human healing partnership is being created. However, the difference is that therapy pets are typically used to treat a mental disability whereas people with physical disabilities use service dogs to help them in many ways. Therapy animals are used in a wide variety of places, such as, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, therapy sessions, mental healthcare facilities, and even in people’s homes. These amazing animals are used on a wide variety of different disorders, but they are utilized mostly by people suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. For people with these mental health disorders, everything in live can be difficult and challenging, however with the help of animal-assisted therapy, their mood, motivation, and life can dramatically improve. Anyone who hears about these brave, loving animals soon falls in love with them. From a medical standpoint, there have been many successful studies and the support for animal-assisted therapy still continues to grow in doctors and therapists across the nation.
O'Connor, J., French, R., & Henderson, H. (2000). Use of Physical Activity to Improve Behavior of Children With Autism -- Two for One Benefits. Palaestra , 22-29.
A variety of researchers have studied the efficacy of therapeutic horseback riding on the social skills of children with autism and other disabilities and emphasized its positive results” (Ghorban, et al). Equine Therapy has a positive effect on social skills with children with special needs. In arguing this claim, Dingman argues that “the social and emotional connections proves the horse’s rhythmic, repetitive movements which work to improve a rider’s social development and motor skills. Children who have trouble relating to humans often learn through interactions with horses how to communicate with peers. (Dingman). The children with social anxiety can make friends and be social instantly at the barn speaking about horses. In Equestrian Therapy it describes “The correct interaction of the child with the horse also serves as an essential tool for improving the social skills of the child with respect to humans” (“Equestrian Therapy”). Social skills are developed and improved with Equine Therapy.
Children with autism have multiple characteristic impairments in their social interaction skills. This results from the lack of “Theory of Mind” in autistic individuals. Autistic children have difficulty interpreting what another person may be thinking or feeling. Social impairments may cause the child to act inappropriately in social interactions and prevent the children from truly taking part in interactions. The children have difficulty recognizing social cues and responding to cues. Autistic children have a hard time forming relationships as a result of these impairments. Social stories, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Pivotal Response Training are three therapy techniques that help children with autism learn appropriate social behavior. Social stories allow the children to practice the situation in a lower stress environment. Applied Behavior Analysis utilizes positive reinforce to teach desired skills. Pivotal Response Training allows the child to learn social skills while in a natural play environment. Learning social skills through these techniques enable the children to have more meaningful relationships and engage more in their community.
Gunnarson, Helen W. "Animal law comes into its own: as Americans place more value -
Animal-assisted therapy is often confused with service dog; it is two completely different type of usage of animals, which usually are dogs. It is commonly misunderstood because animal-assisted therapy and service dog are working animals with individuals with disability although according to (Hart-Cohen, 2009) service dogs is when an individual with disability is in need of help in order to function in daily life such as answering the door, crossing the street and the list goes on. While animal-assisted therapy animals are trained to offer comfort companionship, and affection to those in need in different situations such as courtrooms, nursing homes, schools, hospitals, and other places (Hart-Cohen, 2009). The point of animal-assisted therapy is to be available in specific situations to offer comfort to individuals. In order to become an assisted animal, the animal must undergo training, to receive a certified to prove that the animal is qualified to be able to control his or her behavior and is able to work with an...