Richardson Kathleen, Mackenzie Lynette, Lovarini Meryl, Dickson Claire
The University of Sydney, Discipline of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Occupational Therapist, Assistance Dogs Australia, Engadine, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Br J Occup Ther. 2022 Nov;85(11):859-868. doi: 10.1177/03080226221086217. Epub 2022 Jun 9.
Dogs may elicit positive therapy outcomes for children/adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about the parent perspectives of the use of dogs as part of an occupational therapy program for ASD. This study aimed to explore parent perspectives about the Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) component of the occupational therapy intervention their child/adolescent received across five weekly sessions.
Using a phenomenological approach, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents (13 mothers and four fathers) following an AAT occupational therapy program. Thematic analysis was conducted.
Three themes were identified relating to the value parents attributed to the AAT occupational therapy program with dogs for their child/adolescent: 1. Stress and anxiety management; 2. Participation and engagement and 3. Social communication. Positive outcomes identified by parents included the dogs being a calming influence and facilitating the participation of their child/adolescent in life-skill activities.
Parents valued AAT occupational therapy involving dogs. Future studies should investigate how to best target this occupational therapy approach for autistic children and adolescents.
狗可能会为患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童/青少年带来积极的治疗效果。然而，对于将狗作为ASD职业治疗项目一部分的使用情况，家长的看法却知之甚少。本研究旨在探讨家长对于其孩子/青少年在为期五周的职业治疗干预中接受的动物辅助治疗（AAT）部分的看法。
采用现象学方法，在一个AAT职业治疗项目结束后，对家长（13名母亲和4名父亲）进行了16次半结构化访谈。进行了主题分析。
确定了与家长认为AAT职业治疗项目对其孩子/青少年的价值相关的三个主题：1. 压力和焦虑管理；2. 参与和投入；3. 社交沟通。家长们确定的积极结果包括狗具有安抚作用，并促进了孩子/青少年参与生活技能活动。
家长重视涉及狗的AAT职业治疗。未来的研究应调查如何最好地将这种职业治疗方法应用于自闭症儿童和青少年。
