REHAB GOES TO THE DOGS:

A Practical Approach to

Animal Assisted Therapy

Meet Hudy & Oscar

VIDEO

Road from Average Joe to Ambassador of Hope

Canine career change– Service Dog

– Therapy Dog

Case Example – GregRole of Handler in therapy sessions

– Facilitates interaction between dog and client

– Maintains safety of dog and client

– Collaboration with therapist to meet the goal of the session

Why Dogs As a Therapeutic Approach?

Supports key concepts of evidence-based research in the field of neuroscience Saliency (must be meaningful to the client)

Unconditional Love Companionship Non-judgmental Calming, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure Ice breaker Reduces depression Promotes health Reduces vulnerability

Speech-Language Therapy

Speech-Language Pathologists specialize in the evaluation & treatment of communicative, cognitive &/or swallow needs. Speech-Language Pathologist provide a wide range of services and support for individuals, their families & caregivers from birth to death with such needs.

Typical Speech Therapy Goals May Include:

Speech production– “Dysathria”– “Apraxia”

• articulation• voice• prosody (inflection)• resonance

Language (comprehension and expression)– “Aphasia”

• phonology (sound structure)• syntax (grammar)• semantics (words)• pragmatics (language use, social aspects of communication)

Typical Speech Therapy Goals May Include Cont:

• literacy (reading, writing, spelling)

Cognition– “Cognitive-Linguistic Deficits”

• Attention

• Memory

• Executive functioning– Sequencing & Organization

– Problem solving

– Reasoning

How Animal-Assisted Therapy Impacts ST Goals – Case Example #1:

18 y/o female with Acquired Brain Injury w/ residual speech & language deficits– Speech production Command

pronunciation – Language Talking to Dog– Pragmatics Developed Scripts

Communication Practice using Scripts– Reading Reading out loud to dog

Reading a recipe to create Dog treats

Dog Treat Recipe

Frozen Peanut Butter Yogurt Dog Treats Ingredients

• 32 ounces vanilla yogurt• 1 cup peanut butter

Directions1. Melt the peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl2. Combine the yogurt and melted peanut butter 3. Pour the mixture into cupcake papers4. Place in the freezer

(www.cesarsway.com 2013)

How Animal-Assisted Therapy Impacts ST Goals – Case Example #2:

42 y/o male with Traumatic Brain Injury w/ residual cognitive-linguistic deficits– Attention Maintain attention to self & dog during

various therapeutic activities

– Memory Recall commands Recall stimuli about dogs to share with others Recalling & tracking appointments independently set-up with Handler

– Executive Thinking Identify solutions to potential problem situations to maintain safety of dog & self.

Memory Matching

Snuggle Dog brings an object in its mouth to you.

Let’s Go Dog licks your cheek  Kiss Dog lifts its right paw to shake hands.

Shake Dog rests its head on your shoulder so you can give it a hug.

Bring Used to encourage dog to walk along with you

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Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists “help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.” (www.aota.org 2013)

Typical Occupational Therapy Goals May Include:

Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) retraining Use of arms & hands to complete gross & fine motor

tasks Vision & Perception Cognition & Safety Modification of environment (home, work, school) Adaptive Equipment Recommendations High-Tech Assistive Technology training Driving Rehabilitation

Note – crossover between disciplines helps with task generalization

How Animal-Assisted Therapy Impacts OT Goals – Case Example #1:

30 y/o male with Traumatic Brain InjuryPathfinding/Navigation walking the dog

through an unfamiliar neighborhoodVisual-spatial awareness safety when crossing

streets, maintaining awareness of the dogs safety Initiation requesting to see dogs on his own

timeExercise playing fetch, giving treats

How Animal-Assisted Therapy Impacts OT Goals – Case Example #2

18 y/o male with Spinal Cord Injury (quadriplegia) Community Outing to Target Multi-disciplinary Getting in/out of the van Going through doors Operating a power wheelchair while handling a dog in a

busy or crowded environment Getting items off shelves Carrying things Picking things up off the floor Managing purchases (wallet, cash, credit cards)

Physical Therapy Perspectives:

Physical therapists help people improve or restore mobility. Therapy dogs help clients become more relaxed and motivated during a PT session because the focus is on something fun. They help take the mind off the task itself, and this usually results in the client being able to do more repetitions of an exercise. Some common PT goals include:

Bed mobility, rolling (have to get up to pet the dog) Floor transfers (using the dog as a brace for support) Gait training (split-attention while walking) Balance (playing fetch) Wheelchair navigation (safety)

Measures of Success:

Getting out in the community, interacting with others

Realizing they can do things they previously thought impossible

Participation in meaningful occupations

In the end, the client obtained a service dog

Permission obtained by Eileen Bohn, Director of Programs, Helping Paws Inc. (February 2013).

Resources:

Helping Paws of Minnesota www.helpingpaws.org/ Intermountain Therapy Animals

www.therapyanimals.org/ Pet Partners (formerly Delta Society)

www.petpartners.org/ American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

www.asha.org American Physical Therapy Association www.apta.org American Occupational Therapy Association

www.aota.org

Discussion/Questions