Animal Assisted Therapy

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy which involves the presence of an animal and a trained animal therapist who uses strategies and goal directed intervention for improving the condition of a child with autism. Interacting with animals can help children with autism to develop physically and improve their strength, coordination, and physical abilities.

Research has shown that the presence of an animal leads to an improvement in immunological function, concentration and mood and when this is applied with children who have autism it can lead to pro-social behaviours such as attention, engagement and meaningful conversation. It also leads to reliably reducing the needs to be isolated and self –stimulating behaviours thus facilitating positive experiences.