Animal-Assisted Activities and Therapies
Animal-assisted activities are a group of interventions in which animals and their handlers interact with one or more people for comfort or recreation.
Animal therapies (also known as pet therapy) are a group interventions which use a more formal, structured set of sessions to help people reach specific goals in their treatment.
In practice, all animal-assisted activies or therapies involve people interacting with animals in one form or another. For example, a person on the autism spectrum may use an assistance dog, swim with or touch dolphins, learn to ride and groom a horse, or keep a pet hamster.
Related Glossaries
- AAT
- Assistance Dog
- Dolphin Therapy
- Elephant Therapy
- Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies
- Helminthic therapy
- Pet Therapy
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Related Publications
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About This Glossary
This glossary is designed to explain some of the jargon and gobbledygook used by some people when they talk about autism or research..
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Disclaimer
The fact that an intervention is listed in this glossary does not necessarily mean that we agree with its use. Nor does it necessarily mean that there is any scientifically valid or reliable evidence behind it.