Assessing the Impact of Animal-Assisted Occupational Therapy on Attention in Preschoolers

Abstract

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has become increasingly popular as an adjunct to treatment across a variety of populations and disciplines. However, minimal empirical documentation for AAT exists in the literature. The purpose of this project was to assess the efficacy of animal-assisted occupational therapy (AAOT) on attention in preschoolers. We hypothesized that the presence of a specially trained canine in the treatment room would increase attention to therapist-directed activities during a table-based occupational therapy activity. A total of 12 preschool-aged children participated in this study during regularly-scheduled occupational therapy sessions. Data were collected based on the percentage of time the student was off-task during the activity. Results demonstrated statistical significance, with the children significantly less off-task on average when a dog was present during instruction than when a dog was not present (t (11) = 2.89, p = .015). This study provides additional research to support the efficacy of AAT with a focus on the preschool population, which is an area that is underrepresented in published literature.