Animals Used As Therapy For Autism Spectrum Disorder
We have talked on numerous occasions about the benefits that animals can bring within various types of therapies. They can help people with terminal illness, behavioral or other problems. For this type of pathology, the most used animals are precisely dogs, but there are many other species that prove to be fundamental if used in particular therapies – such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
If this condition has affected you firsthand, or if you know someone who has it, don’t hesitate to share this article. You will read some extremely interesting things, and for sure you will like it. Let’s find out what animals these are and how they help children with this disorder.
Animals to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Several researches have scientifically shown that people with autism derive many benefits from therapies that involve contact with animals, in particular dogs and horses.
Although dogs and horses remain the most common and easy animals to train for this purpose, the advantages of using other types of animals have nevertheless been demonstrated. Below we list each of these animals, explaining the reasons why they are of great help to children with similar ailments.
Dogs
Dogs are easy animals to train. Plus, they are extremely loving towards us humans – they don’t need words to show us their love, to tell us they need us or that they feel loved.
A dog will not only be great company for a child, but it will also be easy for him to learn to take orders from him. In this way, the child with Autism Spectrum Disorder will go from being totally dependent on others to having another being dependent on him.
Of course, the dogs chosen for this purpose must be trained in this regard and be very balanced. However, if you have a child with this disorder in your family and decide to adopt a dog that has not been specially trained, your child can still benefit from it.
Labradors, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds are normally used for this therapy.
Horses
Although these animals are usually placed side by side with people suffering from balance problems or motor problems, they can also directly influence the sphere of communication and behavior. This is given by the enormous intelligence of the horse, an animal capable of understanding human beings when they want to communicate with him.
For this reason, it will not be difficult to create a bond between the animal and the rider, a bond that will probably turn into an excellent friendship. In the horse the child will find a friend to talk to and to confide in. Furthermore, it will be useful to develop his empathic capacity, which will favor his social integration and his ability to adapt to the most diverse circumstances.
Dolphins
They say it is the smartest animal in the world. Being an incredibly funny and cheerful being, the patient’s morale will improve considerably. Studies carried out in relation to these animals have shown that interacting with dolphins improves concentration and communication skills.
The use of dolphins is now common in the United States and other European countries, and it is hoped that it will soon spread to other countries around the world.
We have told you about three of the most used animals to treat children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, there is an ever-increasing number of studies showing the effectiveness of using other animals to improve children’s lives. These are: sea lions, fish, rabbits, cats and more.
We hope that funds and grants will continue to be allocated to promote this type of research and that we can help find new ways to improve the quality of life of the most fragile children, affected by this disease or other ailments.
