The use of Pet Therapy in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An international review
Michele Capurso, Martina Antonella Silvani
The use of animals as a complementary intervention to traditional therapies has undergone a certain development in recent years. The main background for such integrative therapy is that the relationship between the animal and the patient may increase the effect of other therapies and empower communication abilities, especially in young children. For these reasons, animal-assisted activities and animal-assisted therapies have also been used with children with autism spectrum disorder. This paper analyses nine studies relating to the use of pet therapy with children with autism. This review shows the benefits that children can gain from such treatment, especially in the field of social interaction.
Keywords
Pet therapy, Autism, Review, Animal-assisted therapy.