Animals provide comfort in their own special way to children with disabilities. New reports found that animal therapy can give disabled kids' confidence and help them have better physical health.
Irina Aleksandrova, who runs a therapeutic riding school for kids with autism at Brisbane, Australia, said improvements have been observed on disabled children even after just a few weeks of interaction with animals. Hippotherapy or horseback riding therapy, for instance, boosts disabled children's core strength and confidence, ABC Online reported.
Disabled Children Remain Calm And Happy
Daisy Brown, a 10-year-old child with severe anxiety, reportedly saw improvements on her stamina, concentration, memory and motor skills after undergoing horseback riding lessons. At home, Daisy enjoys the company of a service dog named Sasha that helps the child remain calm and happy.
According to her parents, Daisy would often wander around the house and suffer sensory meltdowns a few times every night. But ever since Sasha came to her aid, Daisy would fall asleep with the dog and won't require her parents to lie next to her. Sasha also leads Daisy back to bed when she wanders around the house at nighttime.
Animals Also Help Children Deal With Depression & Other Health Problems
Another study found that animal therapy can help lower depression in children, especially those who were abused and severely traumatized. Equine-assisted therapy, which is a range of treatments involving horses and other equines, is reportedly perfect for children with low self-esteem, are distrustful and have speech and language delays, ABC Online further reported.
Psychiatrist Anja Kriegeskotten, who works at Samford Riding for the Disabled, said horses have great skills in reading non-verbal cues like body language. Children with autism also naturally captivate horses.
Pets can reportedly lower cholesterol levels, blood pressure and feelings of loneliness, WWSB ABC 7 reported. Researchers in Italy also found that children with "acute mental disorders" have better social interaction skills and decreased levels of social withdrawal after undergoing animal-assisted therapy.
In READ, or Reading Education Assistance Dogs, children are able to practice reading out loud without anyone judging them. The kids thrive in an environment where a dog won't interrupt them while they're reading or mock their mistakes.
Even adults with cancer undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments have better emotional well-being and quality of life after being visited daily by therapy dogs. Volunteers in animal-assisted therapy sessions see reduction of pain among patients, helping them recover from their injury and illness faster. There are also upticks of patient compliance when they're around therapy animals.
