If you found the information in this section helpful please Make a Donation to Research Autism now and help us continue our vital work.
Your money will enable us to carry out further research and provide more high quality information about interventions, treatments and therapies that may help people on the autism spectrum.
Thank you!
Animal therapies are a group of therapies that involve a person interacting with animals in one form or another.
For example, the person with autism may use an assistance dog, swim with or touch dolphins, learn to ride and groom a horse, or keep a pet hamster.
Different animal therapies are designed to achieve different aims. For example, the animal therapy may be designed to reduce fear of specific animals, teach responsibility and commitment, teach problem-solving and decision-making skills, improve language and social skills, or give the person with autism and his carers an enjoyable time.
Because animal therapies are so diverse and wide-ranging, it is not possible to provide a ranking for this group of interventions as a whole.
Some therapies, such as dolphin or elephant therapy, present a number of ethical issues, and some physical threats, to both people and animals, which may be difficult to overcome.
Other therapies, such as the use of assistance dogs, may be beneficial to some individuals with autism. The benefits reported are not huge but do go some way to making life better for certain individuals.
For these reasons we believe that research into some, but not all, animal therapies may be warranted.
Please read our Disclaimer on Autism Interventions
ASD, Asperger, Aspergers, Autism, Autistic, Developmental, Disorder, PDD, Pervasive, Spectrum, Syndrome, Therapy, Animal, Animals, Canine, Dog, Dogs, Dolphin, Dolphins, Help, Horse, Horses, Pet, Riding, Therapeutic, Therapies, Therapy
There are many possible hazards involved in different animal therapies, some of which are more likely to occur than others. These include
Different animal therapies have different aims. For example, interaction with an animal may be designed to
There have been various claims made for the different forms of this intervention including:
Please see the following pages for information on research about specific forms of animal based interventions
‘Results show that children exhibited a more playful mood, were more focused, and were more aware of their social environments when in the presence of a therapy dog.’
‘ Results showed that this form of therapy appeared to have a strong impact in increasing pro-social behaviour, however, it is impossible to explain how effects occurred.’
The costs vary enormously, depending on which type of animal therapy is being used.
For example, keeping a pet goldfish is likely to be considerably cheaper than attending a three week-long programme of dolphin therapy in the USA. The latter can cost more than ₤10,000 once travel, accommodation and other expenses are included..
This intervention is designed for a wide range of people with disabilities, including people with autism spectrum disorders such as autism or Asperger syndrome.
Different forms of animal therapy are available from different providers in different countries.
It is not possible to list all the people for whom animal therapies may not be appropriate. However, it is self evident that some forms of some animal therapies may not be appropriate for
The length and frequency of this group of interventions will depend on the nature of the specific intervention, the needs of the individual, and the requirements of the particular providers.
For example, pet therapy may involve the individual caring for a his or her pet on a daily basis. Dolphin therapy may take place over a two or three week period.
The qualifications of the providers will vary enormously, depending on which type of animal therapy is being used.
There is currently very little scientifically valid or reliable evidence to support the use of animal therapies for people with autistic spectrum disorders.
This lack of evidence does not prove or disprove the effectiveness of animal therapies for people with autistic spectrum disorders. It simply shows how little research has been conducted to date.
There are problems with all of the research studies identified to date.
For example
This section provides details of other publications on this topic. If you know of any other publications we should include please email info@researchautism.net with the details. Thank you.
If you know of any other publications we should list on this page please email info@informationautism.org
Please note that we are unable to supply publications unless we are listed as the publisher. However, if you are a UK resident you may be able to obtain them from your local public library, your college library or direct from the publisher.
There are different explanations as to why this therapy may help including
AAT Animal Animal-assisted Animals Canine Carriage Dog Dogs Dolphin Dolphins Driving Equine Horse Horses Intervention Pet Pets Riding Therapeutic Therapy Therapies Treat Treatment Treatments