Qualitative Perspectives of an Animal-Assisted Therapy Program

Fisioterapia com brinquedos e terapia assistida por cães em lactentes: estudo observacional

RESUMO O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar a fisioterapia com brinquedos com a terapia assistida por cães no desenvolvimento neuromotor de lactentes de quatro meses de idade com e sem alterações neuromotoras. Trata-se de pesquisa descritiva e observacional de caráter qualitativo, realizada com 10 lactentes, que foram avaliados pela escala motora infantil de Alberta (EMIA), divididos em grupo 1 (G1) e grupo 2 (G1) e subdivididos em grupo brinquedo (G1B e G2B) e grupo cão (G1C e G2C) para a realização das intervenções quinzenais. O questionário Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) foi escolhido para avaliar as oportunidades presentes no ambiente domiciliar. A análise de dados qualitativos foi feita por meio de fotos e filmagens. A presença do cão nos grupos G1C e G2C resultou em um ambiente descontraído e divertido, interesse dos lactentes em tocar o pelo do animal, movimentos alternados de membros, contato visual, emissão de sons, evolução na interação social e sentimento de segurança. Nos grupos G1B e G2B, constatou-se diminuição da motivação, ausência de emissão de sons pelos lactentes e contato visual e interesse pelo toque restrito a brinquedos que tivessem diversas cores e sons, havendo pouca agitação e motivação para as habilidades motoras nesses grupos. Conclui-se que a presença do cão promoveu melhores resultados motores, sociais, afetivos e cognitivos. A terapia assistida por animais pode ser um método eficaz para auxiliar na fisioterapia convencional de lactentes com atraso no desenvolvimento neuropsicomotor.

Physical therapy with toys and dog-assisted therapy in infants: observational study

ABSTRACT This study aimed to compare physical therapy with toys with dog-assisted therapy in the neuromotor development of 4-month-old infants with and without neuromotor alterations. This is a qualitative descriptive and observational study carried out with 10 infants, who were evaluated by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale, divided into Group 1 (G1) and Group 2 (G1), and subdivided into Toy Group (TG1 and TG2) and Dog Group (DG1 and DG2) for the performance of fortnightly interventions. By the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale, we assessed the opportunities present in the home environment. Qualitative data were analyzed using photos and videos. The presence of a dog in DG1 and DG2 resulted in a relaxed and fun environment, infants interested in touching the animal’s fur, alternating limb movements, eye contact, sound production, increased social interaction, and feeling of security. In TG1 and TG2, decrease in motivation was observed as well as the absence of sound production and eye contact by infants, and interest in touch restricted to toys that had different colors and sounds, with little agitation and motivation for motor skills in those groups. We concluded that the dog’s presence promoted better motor, social, affective, and cognitive results. Animal-assisted therapy can be an effective method to support conventional physical therapy for infants with delayed neuropsychomotor development.

Handlers' Representations on Therapy Dogs' Welfare

While research on the benefits of animal-assisted interventions is beginning to build a significant body of work, studies on the well-being of therapy dogs are still in their infancy. Since handlers are the people responsible for their therapy dog's welfare, we interviewed 111 French handlers through an online questionnaire. Our results underlined that (i) therapy dogs' welfare is multidimensional when physical and psychological welfare, a balance between work and dog life and the settings and interactions of sessions are all taken into consideration. (ii) The response of our handlers emphasized that considering therapy dog welfare is important for the quality and safety of AAI. (iii) Three categories of risks factors were highlighted: the spatio-temporal framework (planning and environment), the interactions with beneficiaries and the handler themselves. It is particularly important that handlers talk about the negative impact of interactions with beneficiaries since they are at the heart of AAI, however there are few studies focusing on interactions as a stressor for dogs in this practice. Moreover, since there is a potential for positive bias in the handlers' representations, it is important that they be trained to identify and manage the stress in their dogs. Future research is particularly needed on the impact of interactions during sessions on therapy dog welfare.

French handlers' perspectives on Animal-Assisted Interventions

BACKGROUND

Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) are well implemented in human healthcare, in France as elsewhere; yet there are still difficulties in characterizing these practices and misconceptions about their mechanisms - little is known about the French practice of AAI and about the human-animal team.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to characterize AAI by exploring their specificities through French handlers' perspectives.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

An online survey addressed to French handlers working in AAI with mainly one dog was carried out. This research included questions about their practice in AAI (registration status, beneficiaries, and animals) and their background (training in AAI, training in the medico-social field, training in animal behavior). We then examined a phenomenological understanding of handlers' definitions of their practice in AAI, their motivations to work with these approaches, and the expectations of the human-animal team. We used an open coding strategy and created major themes from their answers.

RESULTS

111 handlers participated in this study. The quantitative data highlighted a heterogeneity of handlers' profiles and professional backgrounds, although most profiles had previous training in healthcare. Five themes characterizing AAI emerged from the qualitative analysis: (1) AAI as additional approaches to care settings, (2) AAI as person-centered approaches, (3) the complementarity between handlers and their animal(s), (4) the shared role of mediator, and (5) handlers' beliefs about the human-animal relationship related to their personal experiences. This survey allowed us to understand how the French use AAI and its role in the care system.

CONCLUSION

The benefits of AAI are numerous both for care settings and for the caregivers mainly by making the care more humane. AAI seem to put the wellbeing of beneficiaries and the relationship with the caregiver at the center of the care. The complementarity of the human-animal team is the common feature of these practices and is critical to their success. Future interdisciplinary studies are required to explore the particularities of these interspecific approaches and the differences between countries.

Animal-Assisted Therapy Supports Student Connectedness

Animal-assisted therapy is a complementary approach to supporting the well-balanced student. In particular, therapy dogs in school can have a direct impact on students' social interactions, class participation, and behavior, as well as strengthening feelings of connectedness in school-a protective factor against risk-taking behaviors. School nurses have the unique charge of acting as liaisons between optimal health and academic success, and they can serve an integral role in animal-assisted therapy programs at school. The benefits of animal-assisted therapy in elementary schools along with the role of the school nurse in the planning and success of the program are described.