Animal-assisted interventions - Possibilities and limitations of implementation in young persons with developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders

Abstract

The type of complementary treatment under the interdisciplinary term Animal-assisted interventions - AAI implies all types of interventions which integrate a variety of animals within two key modalities: Animal-Assisted Activities - AAA and Animal-Assisted Therapy - AAT. Interventions can be implemented with persons of all ages in a variety of settings (schools, health care and correctional institutions, etc.). The main objective of this paper is to show different forms and contents of interventions, as well as flexible implementation through examples of research results involving young persons with developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders, by reviewing the available literature. Apart from the potentials of Animal-assisted interventions, certain limitations and implementation challenges have also been pointed out, as well as criticisms, primarily focused on methodological flaws in empirical research.