Posted on August 17th

There are different types of therapies available to choose from and animal assisted therapy for autism has so much potential, depending on the individual with autism spectrum disorder. Therapy dogs, autism service dogs, equine assisted activities, and more are among choices parents and caregivers can select if searching for an animal assisted therapy.

According to the Mayo Clinic, animal assisted therapy is: “a growing field that uses dogs or other animals to help people recover from or better cope with health problems, such as heart disease, cancer and mental health disorders.” So, using animal assisted therapy could potentially also benefit some autistic children.

This article is going to discuss the benefits of animal assisted therapy for autistic children. In particular there will be discussions about therapy dogs and equine assisted activities and information from the professionals that work with the children with autism and animals.

What is animal assisted intervention?

According to the National Library of Medicine’s article, Research on animal-assisted intervention and autism spectrum disorder, animal assisted intervention is made up of three different categories that include:

1. Targeted therapeutic services:
   these are the animal assisted therapies and services that parents and individuals discuss with the therapists what goals, expectations, and growth they are expecting to receive from the therapy
2. Enrichment visits:
   these visits are meant to bring a sense of calm and happiness to the individual, involving an interaction with the animal
3. Educational programs:
   these programs may include interactions with animals while learning something new about the animal

These services help a broad spectrum of people that span neurotypicals to those with differing neurodivergent needs.

Are there many types of animal assisted therapies available?

There are a few different types of therapies available. In the article, Research on animal-assisted intervention and autism spectrum disorder, there are a number of therapy animals listed, including:

• Therapeutic horseback riding
  this uses horseback riding to help strengthen the body, increase self awareness among other benefits
• Equine assisted therapy
  horses are used as a part of the individual’s goals and plans
• Dolphin assisted therapy
  dolphins are used as a part of the individual’s goals and plans
• Therapy dogs
  the therapy sessions include a dog in the individual’s goals and plans
• Service dogs
  these dogs are with the individual and can help with behaviors, like stimming, and medical interventions, like seizures
• Guinea pigs as support animals
  this uses animals like guinea pigs as a part of the individual’s goals and plans

According to the study, equine assisted therapy rated the highest at 55% and was followed by dogs, guinea pigs, and dolphins.

Source