Dog-assisted therapy for severe impaired children during inpatient early rehabilitation: Goals, content and efficacy

Blankenburg, Ulrike; Keßner, R; Sommer, Jens; Weiss, Kaitlyn J.; Hirzinger, M; Gushahn, L; Eberhard, Christine; Romein, Ellen; Rienhardt, C von; Berweck, Steffen; Antonius-Kluger, E; Kluger, Gerhard; Reiserer, B

doi:10.1055/s-0031-1274011

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Biographical or emotionally loaded stimuli lead to increased consciousness as well as an increase in vegetative responses and psychomotor reactions in MCS patients (Perrin et al, 2015). Animals are emotionally relevant stimuli for most people (Zieger, 2016) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is increasingly seen as an important component in early rehabilitation of patients with severe disorders of consciousness (Blankenburg et al, 2011;Böttger, 2008;Janssen & Zieger, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal presence modulates frontal brain activity of patients in a minimally conscious state: A pilot study

Arnskötter

Marcar

Wolf

et al. 2021

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation

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Integrating animals into therapy is applied increasingly in patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS). This pilot study investigates the effect of animal presence on frontal brain activity in MCS patients compared to healthy subjects. O 2 HB, HHb and tHb of two MCS patients and two healthy adults was measured in frontal cortex using functional near-infrared spectroscopy during three sessions with a live animal and three sessions with a mechanical toy animal present. Each session had five phases: (1) baseline, (2) watching animal, (3) passive contact, (4) active contact, (5) neutral. Data were descriptively analysed. All participants showed the largest hemodynamic response during direct contact with the live or toy animal compared to "baseline" and "watching." During active contact, three of the four participants showed a stronger response when stroking the live compared to the toy animal. All participants showed an inverted signal with higher HHb than O 2 Hb concentrations while stroking the live or toy animal. Animal contact leads to a neurovascular reaction in both MCS patients and healthy subjects, indicating elevated neural activity in the frontal cortex. We conclude that while a toy animal can elicit attention processes, active contact to a living animal is combined with emotional processes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal presence modulates frontal brain activity of patients in a minimally conscious state: A pilot study

Arnskötter

Marcar

Wolf

et al. 2021

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation

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“…[12][13][14] Animal-assisted therapy, especially dog-assisted therapy (DAT), is increasingly applied in rehabilitation of patients with severe neurological impairment 15 and provides promising potential to complement the treatment in neurorehabilitation facilities. 16 Research investigating animal-assisted therapy, mostly with dogs and horses, in neurorehabilitation for different populations documents positive outcomes in socioemotional functioning, motivation, mobility, and balance but mixed results regarding attention and concentration. 4,6,[17][18][19][20] A first study on animal-assisted therapy on patients in minimally conscious state found increased behavioral reactions and physiological arousal during animalassisted therapy sessions compared with control therapy sessions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dog-Assisted Therapy in Neurorehabilitation of Children with Severe Neurological Impairment: An Explorative Study

et al. 2020

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Background Dog-assisted therapy (DAT) is increasingly applied in neurorehabilitation of patients with severe neurological impairments. To date, there are only anecdotal reports investigating its effects. Objectives This study was aimed to evaluate the potential of DAT in pediatric inpatient neurorehabilitation for severely neurologically impaired children and adolescents, to identify characteristics of patients receiving this therapy, characteristics of the therapy sessions, and to evaluate feasibility and extent of goal achievement. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 850 DAT sessions performed between 2010 and 2017 at an inpatient neurorehabilitation center. The dataset included 196 children and adolescents (Md = 5.50, 0.58–20.33 years) suffering from severe neurological impairments (disorders of consciousness in 37 patients) of various etiologies. We extracted information regarding patient and session characteristics, analyzed the predefined goals with content analysis, and examined to what extent the goals were met during DAT. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Patients received an average of 4.34 therapy sessions. A total of 247 of 392 predefined goals (63%) were reached during DAT. The most frequently achieved goal was “enhancing fun” (83%), followed by “establishing contact and communication” (81%), and “relaxation” (71%). Only one critical incident regarding the dogs' safety occurred. Conclusion DAT is a feasible approach and appears to facilitate emotional, social, and psychological goals in children and adolescents with severe neurological impairment.

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Dog-assisted therapy for severe impaired children during inpatient early rehabilitation: Goals, content and efficacy

Cited by 2 publications

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Animal presence modulates frontal brain activity of patients in a minimally conscious state: A pilot study

Animal presence modulates frontal brain activity of patients in a minimally conscious state: A pilot study

Dog-Assisted Therapy in Neurorehabilitation of Children with Severe Neurological Impairment: An Explorative Study

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