Animal Therapy for Physically Challenged Children

Traditional physical therapy targets balance, coordination, muscle tone and muscle strength in a hospital or clinical setting. For children, however, these settings can be intimidating or even scary. Animal assisted therapy places children in a more relaxed setting and uses animals to try to achieve the same results as traditional therapy, often with greater success and improved quality of life.

  1. What is Animal Assisted Therapy?

    • AAT is a form of therapy that combines animals with traditional counselors and therapists in order to reach specific goals or objectives. The purpose is to improve physical, social, emotional or cognitive ability. The use of animal therapy targets physical conditions such as fine motor skills, balance, wheelchair skills and mobility. In addition to physical support, the use of animals helps with anxiety reduction, social interaction, self-esteem, motivation and mental health.

    Equine Therapy

    • Equine therapy, or hippotherapy, uses a horse and its movements to target muscle strength and control. When riding a horse, the rider̵7;s movement response is close to that of a normal human walking pattern, working the child̵7;s muscles. Maintaining balance and coordination on the horse̵7;s back helps to strengthen muscles and improve function. Because, for many children, this is an enjoyable experience, they don't realize they're in therapy and often make greater progress because, to them, this isn̵7;t work.

    Dolphin Therapy

    • Dolphin therapy uses the same principle that animal interaction aids in therapy. In addition, the fact that this therapy immerses the child in water provides a freedom of movement that many children restricted to wheelchairs do not normally experience. While research on dolphin therapy is still inconclusive, popular theories regarding dolphin therapy revolve around the dolphin̵7;s use of sonar and echolocation. Similar to music therapy, researchers believe that these sounds produce changes in a person̵7;s tissues and cells.

    Small Animal Therapy

    • In addition to these large animal programs, more common pets, such as cats, dogs and rabbits are also used for animal therapy. For example, a child with difficulty controlling arm movement may benefit from regular sessions brushing a dog. While focusing on taking care of the dog and enjoying his company, the child is able to work on improving muscle strength and control without feeling like he's in a physical therapy session.