Effect of Animal Assisted Therapy in Therapeutic Environments Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been a form of therapy used since the late sixteenth century. A considerable amount of research has been invested in the study and analysis of AAT because it has yielded significant health benefits. AAT is primarily used along with traditional therapies to treat the deficits that are common to many physical and emotional disabilities. Some include physical delays of Cerebral Palsy (CP), cognitive and language delays in those with Language Learning Disabilities (LLD), and emotional instability in those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While currently many forms of traditional therapies are available, the effectiveness of using animals in therapy …show more content…
Animals were incorporated into an institution in England as a treatment to patients as an alternative to giving medications. The first scientific article on animal assisted interventions was published in 1944, by James Bossad, His article was called “The Mental Hygiene of Owning a Dog”, and spoke about the positive aspects that owning a dog could have on its owner. It was that same year that the use of animals as a form treatment was implemented in the United States to help those injured at war. The animals were brought into hospitals to divert the patient’s minds from the intensity of their painful treatments. The popularity of animal therapies significantly increased throughout the twentieth century. Visits form therapy dogs became a usual sight in children’s hospitals, and animal visits to nursing homes were becoming more common. By the late 1970s, it was common for an animal to be a recommended option for therapy. The idea of including animal therapy in correctional facilities was originated by a man named David Lee. In 1975 Lee opened a program in Ohio which included an AAT program, where prisoners were given animals to care for, and to nurse back to health. The Delta Society was formed in 1980, with a focus on the human-animal bond. It is to their credit that the awareness of AAT has grown …show more content…
Pets can make the atmosphere warm, welcoming, and inviting. One can find many teachers who set up fish tanks in their classrooms, to decrease the anxiousness of their students. Many times amphibians or reptiles are used by educators to provide educational support to the classroom activities. These animals make transitions smooth and positive, by making activities seem exciting to the children. It is because of their sociable and non-judgmental characteristics that animals can be used by teachers to provide learning support. Implementing a dog into a literacy program can enhance the learning of children with learning disabilities. For example, a class was learning a unit on the use of proper punctuation, the students were told to touch the pet every time they came up to a comma or a period in a sentence. This method worked very well for struggling students, because they were motivated by the support given by the dog. Additionally, the importance of tolerance for others and trusting one another, was ingrained in the students by observing the trust and tolerance in the nature of the