Introduction
Many children are faced with difficulties in holding attention and hyperactivity that may create issues for a child. These children may be diagnosed with a behavior disorder called Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, also commonly known as ADHD (Schuck, Emmerson, Fine, & Lakes 2013). Another behavior disorder that a child could face is autism, which affects not only overall functioning and social skills, but also communication and sensory issues (Berry, Borgi, Francia, Alleva, & Cirulli 2013). Both behavior disorders can affect a child’s daily life and create challenges. Past studies have shown improvements of symptoms through the use of canine therapy. Canine therapy is a type of therapy that uses certified therapy dogs …show more content…
Researchers have found that the stress levels decrease in patients by having a calm therapy trained dog in the room (Jalongo et al., 2004). Jalongo et al. (2004), state that anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure all lower which relaxes the mind and body. A stress-free environment can create a positive experience. Also, Jalongo et al. (2004) mentioned that children tend to confide in animals, which can allow the child to open up and feel comfortable with a presence of a therapy dog. The children can communicate and have physical contact with a dog, creating a strong emotional bond formed between a child and a therapy dog (Jalongo 2015). Improvements are made when a child is comfortable and has little to no stress (Jalongo et al., …show more content…
Autism causes “impairments in three behavioral domains: (1) social interaction; (2) language, communication, and imaginative play; and (3) restricted range of interests and activities” (Berry et al., 2013, p. 73). This makes it difficult for a child with autism to be in a normal setting like school and struggle with interaction with others. Canine therapy could reduce the symptoms of autism because as Berry et al. (2013) note, the stress levels of a child with autism decreased when a certified therapy dog was present. Which also reduced “the number of problematic behaviors (such as self-stimulation, repetitive behaviors, and tantrums)” (Berry et al., 2013, p. 75). Reducing stress as mentioned by Jalongo et al. (2013) would allow for the child to have positive learning experiences, decreasing the symptoms of autism. Also, children with autism can struggle with aggression, which can create an unsafe environment for the child and those around (Berry et al., 2013). If aggressive and irritability behaviors were present prior to treatment, these behaviors typically tend to decrease for children during and after canine therapy programs (Berry et al., 2013). Canine therapy can reduce problem behaviors for a child with