Argumentative Essay On Animal Assisted Therapy

“A dog is a man’s best friend”, is the expression people say when they find that during tough points in a person’s life an animal will always be there unconditionally to show comfort and support. The attachment that humans have with their pet is unquestionable, some people take their pets with them wherever they go, and even talk to their pets about what happened throughout the day or problems they are struggling with. Most animals are loyal to their owners and are always looking for attention, keeping their owners fit and exercised by going on walks or playing fetch or just going outside and getting fresh air. Therapists have thought of a way to bring that unconditional love, comfort, loyalty, and playfulness into the therapy room. Animal interactions during therapy sessions should be used because it increases overall health and happiness in the patient as well as secure a special bond between the client and the animal that will encourage and motivate them to come to therapy sessions. Animal assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves animals to provide comfort, motivation, and emotional support to the patients that come to therapy. Therapists around the world found that twenty to fifty-seven percent of their patients do not return after the first or second therapy session.
S (2014) “practitioners of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have come to realize that children with ASD do not lack the desire to interact with others, they just do not have the appropriate social skills necessary to interact with other children.” (pg.2) Researchers have tried multiple interventions to help get ASD patients the correct social skills they need in order to have interpersonal relationships. Grigore, A., and RUSU, A. S (2014) also found that “recent studies show that children with autism spectrum disorder can comprehend or understand non-human, animal communication, better than they can understand humans.”