IRMA-International.org: Creator of Knowledge
Information Resources Management Association
Advancing the Concepts & Practices of Information Resources Management in Modern Organizations

Engaging Adolescents With ASD in Animal-Assisted Therapy: Benefits of Human-Animal Bond

Engaging Adolescents With ASD in Animal-Assisted Therapy: Benefits of Human-Animal Bond
View Sample PDF
Author(s): Hemangi Narayan Narvekar (Christ University, Bengaluru, India)
Copyright: 2025
Pages: 20
Source title: Clinical Applications of Pediatric Neuropsychology from Infancy to Adolescence
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Kalliopi Megari (City College, University of York, Greece)
DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-9689-6.ch018

Purchase

View Engaging Adolescents With ASD in Animal-Assisted Therapy: Benefits of Human-Animal Bond on the publisher's website for pricing and purchasing information.

Abstract

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder lack social competence. Considering the chronic nature of the disorder, it becomes essential to focus on this critical developmental phase. For people with ASD, animal-assisted interventions appear to help enhance social functioning. This chapter aimed to explore whether therapy animals could help adolescents with ASD become more socially adept through research utilizing an AB single-case experimental design with two adolescents. The participants were measured on social competence, attention, and memory. Over a month, the intervention was given twice a week for 45–60 minutes, resulting in 8 therapy sessions. With the assistance of a trained dog, a licensed clinical psychologist delivered the AAT sessions. Results show that AAT helps improve social competence alongside fostering better attention and memory. The chapter highlights the role of human-animal interactions in the developmental period of adolescence with ASD.

Related Content

Fatih Kara, Abdulsamet Mavzer, İrem Karalik, Ayşe S. Baran. © 2026. 26 pages.
Şebnem Yıldırımcan Kadıçeşme. © 2026. 34 pages.
Reyed M. Reyed, Pranav Kumar Prabhakar. © 2026. 64 pages.
Golnaz Shafiei, Maryam Saadat, Shima Farajpour, Shima Mohammadi, Nasrin Dashti, Tahmineh Mokhtari. © 2026. 38 pages.
Tahmineh Mokhtari, Farzaneh Majidi, Fatemeh Sheikhbahaei, Parvaneh Behi Shahreza, Mahnaz Poorhassan. © 2026. 36 pages.
Fatemeh Azimi. © 2026. 30 pages.
Mohammad Reza Ramezanpour, Omid Bahrami, Muhammad Parsa Pashazadeh, Rojin Sarallah, Reza Nikfar, Masoumeh Majidi Zolbin. © 2026. 34 pages.
Body Bottom