Animal-Assisted Interventions Research

Johnson, Rebecca A.; Odendaal, J.S.J.; Meadows, Richard L.

doi:10.1177/01945902024004009

Cited by 72 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Empirical research of HAI, including studies of pet ownership and animal-assisted therapy, suggests potential human outcomes may include improvements in psychiatric symptomatology, psychological states, and social behavior (e.g., Garrity, Stallones, Marx, & Johnson, 1987;Hecht, McMillan, & Silverman, 2001). Studies researching these psychosocial effects of HAI are particularly common in institutional settings such as inpatient psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes (Johnson, Odendaal, & Meadows, 2002).…”

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confidence: 99%

Human-Animal Interaction in a Prison Setting: Impact on Criminal Behavior, Treatment Progress, and Social Skills

2007

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This quasi-experimental field study evaluated the effects of a forensic humananimal interaction (HAI) program on the criminal behavior of prison inmates. The study assessed the impact of the HAI program using between-subject methods and analyses. A total of 48 male inmates participated in the research by allowing researchers access to their institutional files and completing self-report measures. In general, it was hypothesized the HAI program would result in positive behavioral and psychosocial outcomes for inmates. Dependent measures included the frequency of institutional infractions, inmate treatment level within the prison's therapeutic community, and social skills. Analyses compared two groups of inmates in a pretest-posttest repeated-measures design, comparing a Treatment group with a Control group. Results indicated that inmates in the Treatment group evidenced statistically significant improvements in these dependent measures in comparison to the Control group.

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confidence: 99%

Human-Animal Interaction in a Prison Setting: Impact on Criminal Behavior, Treatment Progress, and Social Skills

2007

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“…However, although SPAs have been widely used and empirically researched in the field of ABA, it is important to note that this is a currently unexplored and untested strategy for AAI. While some clinician guidelines for implementing AAI do suggest to control for the potentially confounding variables of pet ownership, animal aversion, and any allergies (55), there is not a best-practice guideline in place for determining a suitable AAI for those who are non-verbal or particularly low-functioning, such as those with severe ASD. Therefore, preference assessments may serve as a starting point for the field to become more systematic in incorporating different types of animals into research and practice.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Preferences for Animals in Children with Autism: A New Use for Video-Based Preference Assessment

et al. 2017

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The inclusion of animals into interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a growing practice known as animal-assisted intervention (AAI). The choice of the animal to include in an intervention is often solely up to the interventionist and depends on their experience, subjective judgment, and ease of access to different animals. For individuals with ASD who are non-verbal and unable to indicate preferred stimuli or activities, incorporating preference into interventions has been linked to increases in positive behaviors and enhanced quality of life. We propose that animal choice based on a participant’s preference may enhance the experience of AAI and maximize its outcomes. A common technique used to reliably determine preferred interactions and activities in interventions for children with ASD is a stimulus preference assessment. The video-based multiple-stimulus without replacement (MSWO) procedure, in particular, allows for discrimination of complex stimuli that could not feasibly be presented all at once, which is the case when choosing an animal. Based on the well-documented reliability of this technique in the field of applied behavior analysis, we propose that a future direction in AAI is utilizing video-based MSWO to guide animal selection.

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“…Learning to interact with a dog in a quiet and gentle manner, when and how it is appropriate to approach a dog, learning how to play fair, and how the child should act if he or she is afraid of the dog (Jalongo 2006(Jalongo , 2008 are all important lessons for children to learn prior to introducing a dog into the school or therapeutic context. In their metaanalysis of animal-assisted therapy, Johnson et al (2002) recommend that administrative and staff concerns regarding safety and allergies need to be addressed early on, so an on-site meeting should be arranged to establish agreedupon procedures prior to the beginning of a program.…”

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confidence: 99%

Exploring Animal-Assisted Programs with Children in School and Therapeutic Contexts

Friesen

2009

Early Childhood Educ J

122

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Animal-Assisted programs with children are becoming increasingly popular in school and therapeutic settings. This article provides an overview of the benefits accrued by children as well as the concerns with programs which involve animals, and therapy dogs in particular, in these environments. Research over the past 30 years indicates that therapy dogs may offer physiological, emotional, social, and physical support for children. The distinguishing features of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) are characterized by the supplemental inclusion of a trained therapy dog in reaching an intervention goal in therapeutic environments, and as a supplement to an educational objective in school contexts. The general assumptions underlying AAT with children are that although therapy dogs are interactive, children seem to perceive them as non-judgemental participants who are outside of the complications and expectations of human relationships. This unique interaction may offer children a valuable form of social and emotional support in educational and therapeutic settings.

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Animal-Assisted Interventions Research

Cited by 72 publications

References 31 publications

Human-Animal Interaction in a Prison Setting: Impact on Criminal Behavior, Treatment Progress, and Social Skills

Human-Animal Interaction in a Prison Setting: Impact on Criminal Behavior, Treatment Progress, and Social Skills

Assessing Preferences for Animals in Children with Autism: A New Use for Video-Based Preference Assessment

Exploring Animal-Assisted Programs with Children in School and Therapeutic Contexts

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