The Small Great Therapist

I recently read a study called Guinea pigs--The "Small Great" Therapist for Autistic Children, or: Do Guinea Pigs Have Positive Effects on Autistic Child Social Behavior? by Lucia Krskova, Alzbeta Talarovicova and Lucia Olexova, in which the researchers aimed to gain concrete understanding of the use of small pets (specifically guinea pigs) as therapy tools for autistic children, and the effect of said therapy. They asserted that information on the use of small animals for therapy purposes is limited mainly to case studies, and they hoped to gain both qualitative and quantitative information on the topic. 

The definition of autism in this study is "a deficit in social reciprocity and communication, and an occurrence of repeated behaviors," of which social problems could be social avoidance, social indifference, and social awkwardness. They also define Animal-Assisted Therapy as "a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process." I wanted to share these two definitions because I find it interesting to see how definitions of these vary from study to study.

The researchers observed nine autistic children and their social behavior in a school setting. The main focuses of social interaction were tactile, verbal, and eye contact, all of which could be made to the school teacher or fellow students, the observers (who was an unfamiliar person), or the animal. They found that the guinea pig's presence influenced more contact by the autistic child. While the children were still willing to make contact with the unknown person more often during the animal's presence, it was significantly less than compared to the children's desire for contact with the animal. The children were much more likely to spend time with the animal, and preferred it over contact with the unknown person or their peers. 

While each child varied in their preferred contact, I think it is very interesting that guinea pigs could show dramatic affects at all. Earlier in the article, the authors asserted that dogs, horses and dolphins are the most frequent animals used for animal assisted therapy. The fact that a less active creature could produce these results seems monumental because this is an animal that many households could easily care for. It could also be suggested that rabbits, ferrets or cats could have a similar effect--it certainly wouldn't be hard for many autistic children to have a pet like this.

This new found information makes me wonder if the future of AAT could lead to most, if not all, autistic children having a pet that could contribute to an easier and more efficient life on a daily basis. I think it could be truly amazing if the lives of autistic children could be so greatly improved because they are able to incorporate a pet into their therapy process. I envision a program in which the children care for the pets, and the parents are trained to work on certain goals with them and the animals, even when a therapist is not present. Perhaps animals could change autism...

LAZY

"Help me out!"

How could you not love that face?