Date of Award
12-1997
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Dr. Joanne Wright
Second Advisor
Barbara Hooper
Third Advisor
Mary Ann Bush
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
Occupational therapists can use animals to assist their clients in achieving goals in treatment. Most often dogs are used as they are more easily trained. The dog may fetch a ball thrown by the client or stand still and allow the client to brush it. These activities with the animal increase the client's range of motion, endurance and strength. Dogs as well as other animals are used in various ways to elicit the desired response from the client. No studies were found in the literature that examined the use of animals as adjuncts to, or as modalities in occupational therapy in a manner that would allow statistical interpretation of the data.
This study used an ex post facto pretest/ post-test design to determine the efficacy of animal assisted therapy to reach occupational therapy goals for persons who had experienced cerebral vascular accidents and were treated at a rehabilitation hospital. Animal assisted therapy was shown to be a statistically significant predictor of an increase in independence.
Recommended Citation
Briggs, Alice Arlene, "The Effects of Animal Assisted Therapy When Used as an Adjunct to Occupational Therapy in the Rehabilitation of Persons Who Have Had Cerebral Vascular Accidents" (1997). Masters Theses. 4704.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/4704