Cerino Stefania, Borgi Marta, Fiorentini Ilaria, Correale Cinzia, Lori Alessia, Cirulli Francesca
Società Italiana Riabilitazione Psicosociale Lazio, Roma.
Dipartimento di Neuroscienze Comportamentali, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma.
Riv Psichiatr. 2016 Nov-Dec;51(6):270-274. doi: 10.1708/2596.26730.
An increasing number of studies have shown the beneficial effects of both recreational and therapeutic interventions assisted by animals for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The observed effects are believed to be mainly due to the ability of some animals to positively engage people, thus potentially counteracting the social withdrawal characterizing these subjects. Here we report the case of a child with high-functioning autism who has been included in an Equine-Assisted Intervention (EAI) program for 2 years. In particular, the relationship with the animal was used to encourage child’s narrative abilities as a primary means of improving cognition and communication. This case represents a first attempt to theorize the role of human-animal interaction as an adjunct to classic therapeutic strategies in ASD. During the intervention, the child appeared to gradually abandon his attitude to avoid the contact with the present and to hide in imaginative past and future. We propose animal-assisted interventions as complementary approaches capable to facilitate the verbalization of the patient’s internal states and to promote psychological well-being through the development of a bond with the animal.
越来越多的研究表明，娱乐性和治疗性动物辅助干预对自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童具有有益效果。据信，观察到的效果主要归因于某些动物能够积极与人互动，从而有可能抵消这些受试者所特有的社交退缩现象。在此，我们报告一名高功能自闭症儿童的案例，该儿童参加了为期两年的马辅助干预（EAI）项目。具体而言，与动物的关系被用作鼓励儿童叙事能力的主要手段，以此改善认知和沟通。该案例首次尝试将人 - 动物互动的作用理论化，作为ASD经典治疗策略的辅助手段。在干预过程中，该儿童似乎逐渐摒弃了回避当下接触、躲进想象中的过去和未来的态度。我们建议将动物辅助干预作为一种补充方法，能够促进患者内心状态的言语表达，并通过与动物建立联系来促进心理健康。
