Ghai Jessica L, Lehr Donna H, Harayama Nancy E, Spooner Fred, Protopopova Alexandra
Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University, Boston, MA USA.
University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NC USA.
Behav Anal Pract. 2021 Jun 16;15(3):659-676. doi: 10.1007/s40617-021-00605-4. eCollection 2022 Sep.
Although the popularity of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) continues to increase, an examination of these practices among clinician populations that may incorporate AAI in their clinical services are largely absent from the literature. This study examined the practices and desirability of incorporating animals into ABA services. A total of 544 ABA clinicians completed a web-based survey. Data revealed respondents not only considered incorporating animals into ABA services ( = 307), but almost 20% ( = 107) also reported engaging in this practice. Dogs were reported as the most frequently incorporated animals and an examination of animal sources and prior training revealed substantial variability. Animal incorporation practices were viewed as desirable, feasible, and a majority of respondents reported being interested in AAI implementation. Implications of these results beget a discussion about potential adverse consequences to clients and clinicians that participate in these practices. This discussion includes physical safety risks, financial threats, and potential Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) code violations. Animal welfare concerns, which are often omitted from discussions about AAI, are also discussed to inform clinicians of the added responsibilities that need to be considered. In total, survey results and the accompanying discussion should urge ABA clinicians to pause when considering the incorporation of animals into their clinical practices. No published articles could be found that examine the use of animal incorporation practices within the area of clinical ABA services. Personal and professional risks and animal welfare concerns associated with the utilization of these practices, as identified in this study, should inform programmatic decision-making by clinical practitioners and supervisors interested in engaging in these practices. Results of this survey highlight the potential need for modifications to professional standards and ethical codes of the BACB and state licensing authorities. As this is a novel area of investigation, this article illustrates the need for further empirical evaluation of animal-assisted interventions as an adjunct to ABA services.
尽管动物辅助干预（AAI）的受欢迎程度持续上升，但文献中很大程度上缺乏对可能将AAI纳入其临床服务的临床医生群体中这些实践的研究。本研究调查了将动物纳入应用行为分析（ABA）服务的实践情况和意愿。共有544名ABA临床医生完成了一项基于网络的调查。数据显示，受访者不仅考虑将动物纳入ABA服务（n = 307），而且近20%（n = 107）的人还报告实际开展了这种实践。狗被报告为最常被纳入的动物，对动物来源和先前培训的调查显示存在很大差异。动物纳入实践被认为是可取的、可行的，并且大多数受访者表示对实施AAI感兴趣。这些结果引发了关于参与这些实践的客户和临床医生可能面临的潜在不良后果的讨论。该讨论包括身体安全风险、财务威胁以及潜在的违反行为分析认证委员会（BACB）准则的情况。还讨论了动物福利问题，这在关于AAI的讨论中常常被忽略，以便让临床医生了解需要考虑的额外责任。总体而言，调查结果及相关讨论应促使ABA临床医生在考虑将动物纳入其临床实践时谨慎行事。未找到已发表的文章研究临床ABA服务领域内动物纳入实践的使用情况。本研究中确定的与这些实践的使用相关的个人和职业风险以及动物福利问题，应为有兴趣参与这些实践的临床从业者和监管人员的项目决策提供参考。本次调查结果凸显了对BACB的专业标准和道德准则以及州许可当局进行修订的潜在需求。由于这是一个新的研究领域，本文说明了需要对作为ABA服务辅助手段的动物辅助干预进行进一步实证评估。
