Date Presented 03/27/20
This case series examined differences in participation in OT sessions involving AAT versus no AAT. Nine children with neurological conditions completed three similar activities, once with and once without AAT. Repetitions and length of engagement were recorded for each activity. No consistent differences between the conditions were recorded, perhaps because the integration of a dog added a dynamic component, affecting how activities were completed.
Primary Author and Speaker: Ellen Herlache-Pretzer
Additional Authors and Speakers: Melissa Winkle
Contributing Authors: Kristin Brown, Brianna Bommarito, Jodi Andres, Sarah Hoffmann, Amanda Ewer
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) involves the integration of a specially-trained animal into goal-oriented interventions provided by a licensed/degreed healthcare provider (Animal Assisted Intervention International [AAII], 2019). Previous research has demonstrated that AAT can positively impact client motivation, pain and anxiety levels, behavior, and function (Shue, Winkle, & Mulcahey, 2018). However, no research has specifically examined the impact of AAT on active participation in therapy, as compared to traditional therapy approaches. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the amount of active participation in occupational therapy (OT) sessions among children with neurological diagnoses when they completed designated therapeutic activities with versus without AAT. For the purposes of this study, participation was defined as the number of activity repetitions completed during a set time frame, and duration of engagement in an activity.
DESIGN: A descriptive case series design was used for this study. At the time of the study, all participants were between the ages of four and fourteen years old, diagnosed with a neurological condition, and receiving OT at a clinic specializing in AAT. Children who were allergic to or afraid of dogs, or who had a history of experience with animal abuse, were excluded from the study.
METHOD: All participants engaged in three designated therapeutic activities, both with (“AAT”) and without AAT (“No AAT”), during OT sessions. Each OT session involved only one version (“AAT” or “No AAT”) of one activity. Participants were randomly assigned to complete the “AAT” or “No AAT” version of each activity first (a stuffed dog was utilized instead of a live dog for the “No AAT” version of the activities). The first 10 minutes of each OT session in which the activities were implemented were video recorded. The researchers were divided into two groups that each coded the videos separately. Number of activity repetitions were noted on a researcher-designed data collection tool. Duration was measured by the length of time the participant engaged in on-task behavior (ie, the activity) during the recorded 10 minute portion of the therapy session. If the groups had discrepancies in results, the videos were re-watched together until a consensus was reached. Additionally, the faculty advisor coded one out of the three sets of videos for each participant to further enhance reliability of findings. Any differences between the advisor and researchers’ results were discussed, with recoding of videos completed as necessary.
RESULTS: Of the 52 videos analyzed, there were only three videos (two involving a “No AAT” version of an activity and one involving an “AAT” version of an activity) in which the participant was not actively engaged for the entire 10 minutes. No consistent differences in number of repetitions were identified in the “AAT” vs “No AAT” versions of activities.
CONCLUSION: The researchers found no consistent differences in number of repetitions and duration of active participation between the “AAT” and “No AAT” versions of activities. One factor that may have contributed to the results was the fact that both the “AAT” and “No AAT” versions of activities were enjoyable and meaningful to participants. Additionally, in some “AAT” sessions the specific skills, preferences, and behaviors of the dog impacted how much and for how long an activity could be engaged in by a participant.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Because AAT adds additional variables and unpredictability that can affect how therapeutic activities are completed, OTs should carefully consider how integration of AAT could impact client participation and goal achievement.
References
Animal Assisted Intervention International. (2019). Glossary of terms. Retrieved from https://aai-int.org/aai/glossary-of-terms/
Shue, S.J., Winkle, M.Y., & Mulcahey, M.J. (2018) Integration of animal-assisted therapy standards in pediatric occupational therapy. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 1(1). Retrieved from https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/paij/vol1/iss1/3
