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Animal-Assisted Therapy for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Animals in Social Work

Part of the book series: The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series ((PMAES))

Abstract

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been utilised as a therapeutic treatment modality with a variety of different populations. These populations have been served in contexts such as schools, hospitals, long-term care facilities and in private homes. The literature in this area has increased as scholars and researchers begin to assess benefits once described only anecdotally, using quantitative and qualitative research methods. AAT in the context of work with those with autism spectrum disorders, an issue with specific relevance to social work, will be explored in this chapter, including the limitations of the current research, as well as ethical considerations.

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Authors
  1. Shanna L. Burke
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  2. Dorothea Iannuzzi
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Far North Queensland, Australia

    Thomas Ryan PhD (Associate Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics) (Associate Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics)

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© 2014 Shanna L. Burke and Dorothea Iannuzzi

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Burke, S.L., Iannuzzi, D. (2014). Animal-Assisted Therapy for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In: Ryan, T. (eds) Animals in Social Work. The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137372291_8

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