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Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT)

Writer's picture: UCP OF CENTRAL FLORIDA UCP OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

Written By: Cassandra Saenz




What is Animal Therapy?

Animal therapy, also known as animal-assisted therapy (AAT), is increasingly used as a complementary treatment approach in various therapeutic settings, including speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. The presence of animals, typically trained therapy animals, offers unique benefits that enhance the effectiveness of traditional therapy modalities. Below are the benefits of animal therapy in each of these areas:


Speech Therapy

  • Motivation and Engagement: Animals can bring more joy and may be less intimidating to children during their sessions. Interacting with animals can encourage verbal communication, especially for individuals reluctant to speak or engage in therapy.

  • Non-judgmental Support: Therapy animals provide a non-judgmental presence, reducing social anxiety and fear of making mistakes. This is especially helpful for individuals with social communication challenges.

  • Facilitating Social Skills: Animal interactions help build social skills such as turn-taking, eye contact, and conversation. This can be a critical tool for children with speech difficulties, in promoting language and communication.

  • Encouragement of Expressive Language: Animals can encourage patients to use descriptive language, request actions, or provide feedback. For example, asking a dog to perform a task or guiding an animal through a series of actions can involve vocalizations and commands.

  • Emotional and Behavioral Support: The calming presence of animals can reduce anxiety and stress, which can improve a patient's ability to focus and communicate more effectively.


Physical Therapy

  • Increased Motivation for Exercise: Animals can help make physical therapy more enjoyable and less stressful. The presence of a dog or other animal can encourage patients to engage in exercises and movements they might otherwise avoid, particularly if the animal is part of the therapy or serves as a reward.

  • Improved Physical Engagement: Activities such as walking a dog or reaching out to pet or play with an animal can encourage movement, balance, and coordination.

  • Emotional Support: Animals offer emotional comfort that can help reduce feelings of frustration or hopelessness, especially for patients recovering from surgery, injury, or chronic illness. This emotional boost can enhance physical healing.

  • Strengthening Physical Skills: Tasks like playing fetch, walking a therapy animal, or performing gentle exercises with the animal can aid in strengthening muscles, improving flexibility, and enhancing mobility in a low-pressure environment.


Occupational Therapy

  • Sensory Stimulation: Animals provide multi-sensory experiences (touch, sound, sight, and even smell) that can be incorporated into occupational therapy activities. For patients with sensory processing disorders, interacting with animals can help them become more comfortable with certain textures, sounds, or motions.

  • Improved Fine and Gross Motor Skills: Interaction with animals—such as feeding, grooming, or playing with a pet—can help improve hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and even gross motor skills. Tasks like petting a dog or guiding an animal require intentional movements, which can be great for therapy.

  • Social Interaction and Cognitive Skills: Animals can foster social interactions, improve attention, and stimulate cognitive thinking through structured activities. Patients can work on problem-solving, following instructions, and developing new skills while engaging with the therapy animal.

  • Stress Relief and Emotional Support: Much like physical therapy, the presence of animals in occupational therapy helps to reduce stress, anxiety, and emotional tension, which can make therapy more effective and allow patients to perform tasks they may have previously avoided.


Overall Benefits of AAT Across Therapies

  • Stress Reduction: The presence of animals has been shown to reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels and increase oxytocin, which promotes happy feelings and relaxation.

  • Enhancing Trust and Rapport: Animals can create an atmosphere of trust, which is especially important in therapeutic settings where patients may feel vulnerable or resistant to treatment.

  • Positive Emotional and Behavioral Changes: Animal therapy has been linked to improvements in mood, reductions in feelings of isolation, and increases in feelings of safety and comfort, all of which contribute to the success of therapy.


Incorporating animal therapy into speech, physical, and occupational therapy enhances the overall therapeutic experience by promoting emotional support, engagement, and motivation. These animals often provide a unique form of encouragement that aids in emotional healing, boosts physical activity, and facilitates communication and social skills. As a result, we are trialing an animal-assisted therapy program in two of our UCP locations: Downtown BETA and Seminole Lake May campuses.

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