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Effects of a dolphin interaction program on children with autism spectrum disorders – an exploratory research

2012; BioMed Central; Volume: 5; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1186/1756-0500-5-199

1756-0500

Emílio Salgueiro, Laura M. Nunes, Alexandra Barros, João Marôco, Ana Isabel Salgueiro, Manuel E. dos Santos,

Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies

Interaction programs involving dolphins and patients with various pathologies or developmental disorders (e.g., cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment, autism, atopic dermatitis, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression) have stimulated interest in their beneficial effects and therapeutic potential. However, the true effects observed in different clinical and psycho-educational setups are still controversial. An evaluation protocol consisting of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Psychoeducational Profile-Revised (PEP-R), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), Theory of Mind Tasks (ToM Tasks) and a custom-made Interaction Evaluation Grid (IEG) to evaluate behavioural complexity during in-pool interactions was applied to 10 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The ATEC, ToM Tasks and CARS results show no benefits of the dolphin interaction program. Interestingly, the PEP-R suggests some statistically significant effects on 'Overall development score', as well as on their 'Fine motor development', 'Cognitive performance' and 'Cognitive verbal development'. Also, a significant evolution in behavioural complexity was shown by the IEG. This study does not support significant developmental progress resulting from the dolphin interaction program.