Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has become a popular intervention for the health and behavioral community as evidenced by media attention. The research that has been done on AAT has been mostly qualitative and anecdotal. The current study adds to the literature on AAT by collecting quantitative data on AAT. A multiple baseline design across three participants was used to evaluate the independent reading duration under a baseline condition (no dog present) and a non-contingent access to dog condition (which simulated how dog therapy is typically conducted). If reading did not increase during the non-contingent dog condition, a contingent access to the dog condition was implemented to determine if the participants would engage in increased reading duration to earn access to the dog. In this study, noncontingent access to the therapy dog resulted in increased reading duration for two of the participants. One participant showed variable results in the noncontingent phase and required the introduction of the contingent dog phase, which resulted in increases in reading duration.

This book looks at how therapies involving animals can be used to help individuals with autism to develop skills, including sensory and social skills, to manage challenging behaviors, and improve quality of life. Whether participating in therapeutic horseback riding, utilizing a trained service dog, visiting a dolphin therapy center, or simply experiencing companion animal therapy, people with autism can reap a multitude of benefits from interaction with furry, feathered, and finned friends. Merope Pavlides relates the success stories of different animal-assisted interventions, as well as noting the challenges of working with particular animal species. She also emphasizes the importance of tailoring interventions to the specific needs of the individual and of monitoring progress. With recommendations for resources and further reading, this book will be of great interest to people with autism, their parents, and the professionals who work with them.

How Animals Help Students Learn summarizes what we know about the impact of animals in education and synthesizes the thinking of prominent leaders in research and practice. It’s a much-needed resource for mental-health and education professionals interested in incorporating animals in school-based environments, one that evaluates the efficacy of existing programs and helps move the field toward evidence-based practice. Experts from around the world provide concrete examples of how animals have been successfully incorporated into classroom settings to achieve the highest level of benefit while also ensuring the health and welfare of the students and animals involved.

This book shares the journey of Renee Farneti Jensen, occupational therapist, who developed and implemented a Canine Animal Assisted Therapy program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The book is a valuable resource for therapists and parents who are considering this type of therapy for autistic children. The introduction shares a vingette written from the perspective of the therapy dog, Vicki, who shared this journey with Renee. The author provides comprehensive information from start to finish in selecting populations who would benefit from this type of therapy through the selection of a dog, trainer and even materials to use to train others. This book is being published posthumously for the author by her sister, Carol Farneti Foster, as a fulfillment of the author's dying wish.

Children and companion animals seem to have a natural affinity towards each other. Most children desire a relationship with their own companion animals or at least demonstrate an interest to interact with animals in general. Living with companion animals or interacting with animals may have psychosocial, neurobiological, or medically relevant effects on typically developing children and juveniles as well as those with diverse and special needs. In this eBook, we present several articles addressing the relationships between children/juveniles and animals in different countries, including Austria, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Three articles discuss approaches in animal-assisted education, including animal keeping and animal assisted interventions in schools, and an experimental study investigating immediate effects of dogs on reading competence and accompanying stress reactions with cortisol and behavior. Other articles address topics involving children and their companion animals, including dog-walking by children and juveniles, risks of dog bites by the family dog, selection of pet dogs for families with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the relationships that children with ASD have with their family cats. The interactions between children/juveniles and animals addressed in this eBook provide new insights into some scarcely investigated themes, and underline the significance of animals in children's lives.