There are a bazillion autism treatments and therapies out there today. At treatments4autism, we take a look at all of them. From the goofy, like dolphin therapy, to the interesting like Lego therapy, to the down right essential like ABA.
Showing posts with label Animal Assisted Therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animal Assisted Therapy. Show all posts
Interactions with therapy dogs, or the introduction of an assistance dog into a household with a child who has an ASD, may help the child develop emotional attachments and interaction in a social setting based on simple and predictable patterns, without having to interpret verbal cues. The enhanced capability for social interaction they would achieve may then carry over to interpersonal communication and relationships.
LAMPANG, Thailand – Kuk-kik, a 14-year-old boy, punctuates his few, slurred words with yelps. Kong screams and bites his fingers when he can't figure out how much to pay for bananas. Other children freeze mid-motion, fix their gazes on minute objects and withdraw.
Enter Nua Un and Prathida — two gentle, lively and clever female elephants — and the mood among the autistic teenagers in Thailand changes as they begin their therapy, the world's first using these charismatic animals.
They scrub and soap their bristly hides, play ball games with the well-trained pachyderms and ride them bareback, smiling.
"Chang, chang (Elephant, elephant). Children, have you ever seen an elephant?" the group sings, clapping hands to the traditional Thai nursery tune and hugging the elephants' trunks. Disco-like, Nua Un bobs her head and sways.
Everyone cheers in a rousing climax to another day in this program in the forests of northern Thailand, which seeks to help autistic children through interaction with elephants.
Animal therapy for people with developmental disabilities — notably using dolphins, dogs and horses — is not new, and has provoked skepticism — especially in connection with expensive swimming-with-dolphins programs. But some anecdotal evidence and studies have shown positive results.
Wittaya Khem-nguad, the elephant project's founder, says parents "see improvements after the elephant therapy and that gives them this hope."
A small preliminary observation found improvements among four boys after three weeks of elephant therapy, but more research with larger samples is needed, says Rebecca Johnson, who heads the Research Center for Human Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri. A presentation on the Thai program was recently made at the school's Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.
Autism is incurable but therapy and medication can improve speech, learning and social problems, and reduce behavior like tantrums.
Elephants have lost their traditional roles in Thailand as trucks, teak loggers, and battle tanks, Wittaya, who gave up a career in advertising to work with elephants, started the project as a way to help the endangered animals regain their usefulness. After reading about horse riding therapy, he approached Chiang Mai University, where Nuntanee Satiansukpong, head of its occupational therapy department, suggested elephants might help those with autism.
Elephants, she says, provide the rich, attention-grabbing "sensory menu" beneficial to the autistic, while the animals' intelligence and other traits allow for a wide range of interactions with humans. Additionally, elephants are woven into the fabric of Thai culture, familiar to children since birth.
Proloquo2Go™ is a new product from AssistiveWare that provides a full-featured communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. It brings natural sounding text-to-speech voices, up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a default vocabulary of over 7000 items, full expandability and extreme ease of use to the iPhone and iPod touch.
Proloquo2Go is now available also on iPad, Apple’s revolutionary new tablet device. Now you can use it on an iPad at home, at work or at school and use it on an iPod touch or iPhone when going to the movies, a restaurant or hiking.
If you know how to use an iPhone or iPod touch you know how to use Proloquo2Go. While Proloquo2Go has a lot of advanced features the basics are extremely simple and easy.
Proloquo2Go includes natural sounding text-to-speech voices, up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a default vocabulary of over 7000 items, full expandability and extreme ease of use.
The basic structure of Proloquo2Go is made to utilize the best of both worlds: word based construction and powerful phrases. So whether you are chatting with a friend, answering a question about a current event, or constructing a story to tell later in the day, the system is designed to be easy and effective for a broad range of individuals.
Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism Parents of children coping with autism spectrum disorders may feel like they face more questions than answers. While little is truly understood of autism, many parents rely on behavioral therapies to improve their child s quality of life and encourage independence. First in what will be an annually updated handbook, Ken Siri and Tony Lyons delve into cutting-edge, hands-on therapies that go beyond the diet-behavior connection, nutrition supplements, and medical treatment.
Readers of Cutting-Edge Therapies for Autism, 2010 2011 will come away with a wealth of meaningful knowledge and coping mechanisms to employ: Learn how animal-assisted therapy such as horseback-riding advances developmental growth; art therapy such as finger-painting encourages self-expression; and floor-time play therapy such as puzzle-solving teaches turn-taking and environmental awareness. Social skills therapies, speech and language therapies, and even music therapy are also explored in this volume.
***Re-posting this one, fixing the You Tube links and after coming across this article today ... Autism Therapy: Dolphin Therapy ***
I've seen a lot of talk of late concerning "Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT)" for kids with autism and other neurological conditions. Don't believe the hype that you hear about this "therapy." While it may be fun, your therapy dollars would be better spent elsewhere.
We do the horse therapy for our daughter and she loves it. I don't know about the therapeutic value, but it's a great activity. Horse "therapy", or Equine Assisted Therapy (aka - Hippotherapy) does not involve the level of danger associated with dolphin therapy and also does NOT endanger the animal. There is a big difference.
Other types of "Animal Assisted Therapy" (AAT) include, but are not limited to dogs, cats, elephants, birds, rabbits, lizards and (I kid you not) Rats. I am not knocking Rat Assisted Therapy (RAT), and the thought of it almost makes the dolphin telepathy folks seem sane. :-)
I think animals are good for kids with autism, but before you spend thousands of dollars, go rescue a dog or cat at Petfinder.com or your local pound.
The folks who push dolphin therapy often promote it as a "healing" experience and often imply that there is some magical telepathic link created between the child and the dolphin. Several even claim that the brains of kids with autism work along the same lines as the dolphins.
Originating in 1978 by Dr. David Nathanson, Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) has been used as a therapeutic approach to increase speech and motor skills in patients who have been diagnosed with developmental, physical, and/or emotional disabilities, such as mental retardation, Down syndrome, and autism. It is suggested that the unconditional love and support a dolphin offers can benefit children and other mentally ill patients by helping them learn to develop trust. Many believe that dolphins have human-like emotions and the compassion that they're able to give increases self-confidence, social skills and academic achievement in children and others who may be lacking these skills. *
Lose / Lose
In reality, DAT is a lose/lose situation for the child and the dolphin. Parents spent literally thousands of dollars on this treatment that could have been better spent elsewhere. In addition to the financial strain, the kids and the dolphins are put at a great risk of injury or infection. Often these dolphins have been taken out of the wild via a process that often results in death or injury to other dolphins.
As Swim With The Dolphin (SWTD) programs and Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) continue to gain popularity, we're seeing more and more dolphins being held in captivity than ever before. *
Dolphins that become desensitized towards humans are also highly at risk of getting entangled in commercial fishing nets or being hit by boat propellers.
Dolphins are bred in captivity in U.S. marine parks, but in other countries they are often taken from the wild. "If people knew how these animals were captured, I don't think they would want to swim with them in a tank or participate in DAT," Marino says, referring to an annual "dolphin drive" in Japan. "During the dolphin drives hundreds of animals are killed, or panicked and die of heart attacks, in water that's red with their blood, while trainers from facilities around the world pick out young animals for their marine parks. They hoist them out of the water, sometimes by their tail flukes, and take them away."
Each live dolphin can bring a fisherman $50,000 or more, she says. "The marine parks make millions off of dolphins, so that's a drop in the bucket. It's an irony that dolphins are among the most beloved, and the most exploited, animals in the world," Marino says.
Putting your child in contact with a wild animal is dangerous. Yes, dolphins are cute and evolution gave them the appearance of smiling, but they are not like "Flipper." While we hate to think of them as such, but by their nature, dolphins are very aggressive predators. I saw one comment on this topic that probably sums up why people don't think they are dangerous: "They are too adorable to be dangerous!"
In contact with humans, dolphins have been known to bite and exhibit "sexually aggressive" behavior. In addition to biting, dolphins have head-butted, raked their teeth along limbs, cracked ribs, broken arms, bruised, and dragged people under water. One man in Brazil was killed when he apparently stuck something in the creature's blowhole, something I am fairly certain my daughter would want to try within the first minute of "therapy". The following story concerns a bottlenose dolphin, the same species as our old friend Flipper.
In March 1994, a bottlenose dolphin that the locals came to call Tiao began appearing on the beach near Sao Paulo. Tiao did not seem to be associated with any nearby group and was obviously attracted to humans. Such animals, often called ambassador dolphins, are rare. No one knows why they prefer to associate with humans rather than their own kind. But the attraction was mutual. According to the BBC's magazine Wildlife, "At times, Tiao would be surrounded by up to 30 people, climbing on his back, tying things to his flippers, sticking things into his blowhole, hitting him with sticks, even trying to drag him out of the water to be photographed with the family and kids on the beach." In December, after nine months of this, Tiao rammed one man to death and injured several others. *
I highly recommend you watch the Penn and Teller show Bulls*&^ on Dolphins. Part II of this episode mentions DAT for kids with special needs. WARNING: Graphic Language, Don't watch if you are easily offended. If you are not easily offended, you are in for a hilarious treat.
Part I:
Part II:
Part III:
Related articles on both side of the Dolphin Therapy issue:
The nonprofit organization provides therapeutic techniques on horseback for people of all ages, from 18 months on, with physical, cognitive or emotional disabilities.
"In most cases just about any diagnosis qualifies," said Jessie Christopherson, S.T.A.R.S. executive director. "There's a whole lot of folks out there who could be utilizing the service and don't know they qualify."
Megan, 22, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident five years ago. Since then she has had to relearn everything from swallowing to talking to walking.
Horseback riding through S.T.A.R.S. helps strengthen Megan's core muscles, the ones that help people walk, sit upright and balance, Christopherson said.
The horse's movement replicates the motion that people's pelvis and hips make when the walk on two feet, she said.
Monday afternoon Megan's mom Paula Hanno, pushed her wheelchair up a ramp to a mounting block in the S.T.A.R.S. indoor arena for Megan's weekly therapy session.
Megan said riding helps her balance.
"My abs (were) really sore," after her session the week before, she said.
"There's no way to cheat on a horse," Christopherson said. "She has to retrain her body to use muscles her brain has forgotten how to use."
As volunteer and part-time instructor, Holly Tucker, lead Brownie and Megan around the arena, Megan's constant battle was to remain upright with her chin down.
In-Stride With Therapeutic Riding Inc., a 2-year-old, nonprofit program operating at the West Pike Run Equestrian Center in Coal Center, helps children with special needs to gain confidence and develop abilities to focus, relax and accept change while learning to ride, said founder and director Dana Flaherty, 34, of North Strabane.
In-Stride began with one rider and has had as many as 12, but enrollment recently dropped to six, largely due to its location in rural Washington County, Ms. Flaherty said.
Starting Wednesday, she will begin offering additional lessons Sundays at Morning Star Stables on Ridge Road in South Park. She also hopes to open another satellite location in Eighty Four.
"Ella loves it," Ms. Smith said. "She's not been confident when doing other things and now she's extremely confident with this."
Ella is diagnosed with pervasive development disorder, a form of autism, and with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Ms. Smith and her husband, Scott, found information about In-Stride on the Internet after learning about a similar program while vacationing in Virginia with Ella and her brother, Otis, 8.
The dolphin's 'healing' powers have been attributed to a range of factors. Some theories believe it is merely the dolphin's affection and tolerance that brings such positive results. Other rumors suggest that the dolphin's natural sonar actually triggers a healing response from within the human body.
Some of life's simplest tasks are impossible for Misty Brown to accomplish with her son, Colby.
She cannot simply run into a grocery store to buy milk or bread if he is with her. A trip to Wal-Mart is out of the question, as are trips to most public places.
Three-year-old Colby has autism, a neurological disorder affecting one in 150 children and 1 in 94 boys. Autism is a complex disability affecting normal functioning of the brain in many areas including social development, language/communication and/or sensory issues.
For some reason, public places are a sure way to begin a meltdown for Colby. He'll throw himself on the floor, screaming until his mom picks him up. Even then, he cannot be comforted most of the time, and Brown has to leave the store.
With low verbal ability, which is a common symptom in children with autism, Colby is not able to communicate to his mom what is so irritating, frightening or overstimulating for him. Is it the lighting, the smell, the feel of the shopping cart? Brown doesn't know. She does know she has to find a way to help Colby deal with public situations, and she thinks she has found it - a service dog.
Unfortunately, the specially trained service dogs for people with autism cost $7,000. And like most treatments for autistic individuals, it is not covered by insurance.
Holly Bortfeld has watched her autistic son benefit greatly from therapeutic horseback riding over the last decade, but waited several years for a slot to open at the riding center for her 15-year-old daughter, who has Asperger’s syndrome.
While Greta does not communicate verbally much, her mother said the girl’s actions offer the best feedback about the new program at the Franklin County 4-H Therapeutic Riding Center.
“Every Friday, she’s dressed and ready to go,” Holly Bortfeld said.
Summit Endowment established the therapeutic riding center’s new program dedicated to autistic riders. Using contributions from Summit Health, which owns Chambersburg and Waynesboro, Pa., hospitals, the Summit Endowment distributed more than $400,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations this year.
“They’re going to be looking at how the program improves the lives of children with autism,” said Ann Spottswood, Summit Endowment manager.
In study after study, animal-assisted therapy has proven to be a valid tool in helping children with autism and other developmental disabilities build a new sense of self-confidence. Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to counteract isolation and facilitate socialization. In this 20-minute video, split up in 5 parts, one little boy builds a relationship with a therapy dog and learns about purpose and compassion.
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves an animal with specific characteristics becoming a fundamental part of a person's treatment. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. AAT can be provided on an individual or group basis. During AAT, therapists document records and evaluate the participant's progress.
Many kinds of animals are used in therapy, including dogs, cats, elephants, birds, dolphins, rabbits, lizards, and other small animals. AAT with horses is known specifically as equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), equine-assisted creative living (EACL), equine-assisted personal development (EAPD) or hippotherapy.
Benefits
People who have pets benefit in various ways, for example, the comfort of physical contact with animals, reducing loneliness, and increased opportunities for meeting others, via the pets. In addition, caring for pets encourages nurturance, responsibility, and adherence to a daily schedule.
May lower blood pressure, risk for stroke or heartattack, and decrease depression.
Mental
A 2007 meta-analysis found that animal-assisted therapy is associated with moderate effect sizes in improving outcomes in autism spectrum symptoms, medical difficulties, behavioral problems, and emotional well-being.
Increase verbal interactions between group members.
Increase attention skills (i.e., paying attention, staying on task).
Improve knowledge of concepts, such as size, color, etc.
Motivational
Improve willingness to be involved in a group activity.
Improve interactions with others.
Improve interactions with staff.
Criticism
Researchers at Emory University have concluded that Dolphin Assisted Therapy is "...a dangerous fad." and lacks any real efficacy. Furthermore, the practice of capturing dolphins can leave more injured or even dead.
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