Title
The Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy on Tantrums and Aggressive Behaviors of Children with Autism
Advisor
Athanasiou, Michelle C.
Committee Member
Bardos, Achilles N.
Committee Member
Pierce, Corey
Department
School Psychology
Institution
University of Northern Colorado
Type of Resources
Text
Place of Publication
Greeley (Colo.)
Publisher
University of Northern Colorado
Date Created
5-1-2015
Genre
Thesis
Extent
154 pages
Digital Origin
Born digital
Description
This study investigated the influence of Animal Assisted Therapy on three elementary school boys’ with Autism Spectrum Disorder emotional regulation. The children participated in 12 Animal Assisted Therapy sessions using the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum with a therapy dog over the course of 6-8 weeks. A non-concurrent multiple-baseline-across-participants design was used to examine how the intervention affected the frequency, intensity, and duration of tantrums and the frequency and intensity of aggressive behaviors. Tantrums and aggressive behaviors were used as indicators of emotional dysregulation. There was minimal evidence that indicated that Animal Assisted Therapy might decrease the duration of tantrum behaviors and the intensity of aggressive behaviors. Overall, the results did not suggest that Animal Assisted Therapy had a positive effect on the participants’ temper tantrums and aggressive behaviors.
Degree type
PhD
Degree Name
Doctoral
Language
English
Local Identifiers
Jesionowicz_unco_0161D_10403
Rights Statement
Copyright is held by author.
