AAI Therapies
Animals in treatment has many advantages
The presence of animals and their direct involvement in treatment have positive effects on people at various levels.
Animal Assisted Activities
Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) provide opportunities for motivational, educational, therapeutic, and recreational benefits to enhance the quality of life.
AAA is delivered in a variety of environments by a specially trained professional, paraprofessional, and volunteer in association with animals that meet specific criteria. These are generally the basic short meet-and-greet sessions of pets visiting people in a hospital, residential care centre, etc.
The same activity can be repeated by many people.
The aim of the program is to help improve the well-being of the community, patients, residents, and their families through positive contact with visiting animals.
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Each person is given the opportunity to participate in the meet and greet with the animals. Allowing people to get up close and personal with animals.
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For many, this can be their first interaction with a specific animal and provides a positive and educational experience
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For those that live in a community or aged care facility who have had to give up their pets or are unable to house their own pet, love the opportunity to experience an animal and the interaction.
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Specific treatment goals are not planned for each visit, detailed notes and documentation are not required, and visits are spontaneous and can be as short or long as necessary.
Animal Assisted Education
Animal Assisted Education (AAE) is a specialised application of Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) or Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)
Provides educational presentations to residents, government agencies, schools, universities, and businesses of Australia.
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Providing Education Presentations and Programs to people in a variety of settings.
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Introduction to our service and animals
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Provides information and education regarding the differences between AAI dogs, therapy dogs, hearing dogs, service dogs, and working dogs.
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to ensure the human and pet relationship is a happy and safe one.
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responsible dog ownership and dog safety incorporates learning activities and games to promote social inclusion, is a fun and interactive learning tool, educating adults and children
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During demonstrations, Therapy dogs may be present.
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Each person is given the opportunity to participate in the meet and greet with the Therapy Dog Team. allowing people to get up close and personal with the dog.
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For many, this can be their first interaction with a dog and provides a positive and educational experience
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For those that live in a community or aged care facility who have had to give up their pets or are unable to house their own dogs, love the opportunity to experience a dog and the interaction.
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Animal Assisted Literacy Program
Reading and literacy program that matches elementary school children with therapy dogs for reading tutoring.
The program provides the children with a sense of self-esteem enabling them to increase their reading grade levels.
A dog is a fun and interactive learning tool, ideal companions because they promote relaxation and lower blood pressure, do not judge, laugh or criticise and allow participants to proceed at their own pace.
Reading to dogs can boost reading skills in children as well as help with emotional and social skills.
Our Dog Assisted Reading Program is a unique literacy initiative program that allows children to read aloud to an Assisted Literacy dog in order to improve reading and communication skills.
Children read individually to the trained dog (and their handlers) in schools, libraries, or other settings where they can feel comfortable and confident
Local children who participate in reading programs make enormous strides in reading and communication skills while building self-esteem, confidence, and social skills along the way.
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Assisted Literacy dogs are registered, insured therapy animals who work as a team in schools and libraries across South Australia as reading companions for children.
Benefits
There are countless benefits of using dogs as a tool in literacy programs.
In addition, to giving students a fun, positive association with reading and writing, dogs also provide numerous physical and mental health benefits. Studies have shown that interacting with a dog helps to lower blood pressure and cortisol levels. This helps students feel more comfortable, less stressed, and better able to focus on their work.
Dogs provide a non-judgmental sounding board for out-loud reading. Students who get the chance to read out loud to one of the Assisted Literacy Dogs in their classroom are less likely to feel worried about making mistakes, which helps them to become more confident readers!
We partner and serve within public library or schools
Reading programs build reading skills under the attentive ear of a canine companion.
We serve within public library or schools as well as established tutoring schools to support the efforts of students currently reading below grade level. Useful for students who have low self-esteem, may be shy about reading aloud, or are learning English as a second language.
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In schools, teams work individually with students, some of whom may be struggling with literacy for a variety of reasons. They may be learning English or have unstable home lives, and some have learning challenges that make it difficult to concentrate.
The Assisted Literacy dogs offer a calm, safe environment in which children may practice, make mistakes, and try out different strategies that help them become more confident readers.
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We work closely with teachers who have students that need extra help with their reading skills.
These children have an opportunity to meet with a dog or dogs once per week/per fortnight/per month approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The student will read aloud to the dog and the handler will help the child understand the material and recognise and pronounce difficult words. Meanwhile, the dog will help calm the student, giving the child the confidence they need to read and succeed.
Animal Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy can take place in almost any setting that best suits the client's needs, including hospitals, schools, and even prisons. However, it is a much deeper and more complex process than spending time with an animal and should follow a treatment plan and a set of goals as determined by an experienced professional.
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The focus of AAT involves setting up ground activities involving the animal which require the client or group to apply certain skills.
Non-verbal communication, assertiveness, creative thinking, problem-solving, leadership, taking responsibility, teamwork, relationships, confidence, and attitude are examples of the tools utilized and developed by AAT.
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AAT is a powerful and effective therapeutic approach that has an incredible impact on individuals, youth, families, and groups.
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AAT addresses a variety of mental health and human development needs including behavioral challenges, Attention Deficit Disorder, PTSD, substance use and misuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, relationship challenges, and communication needs.
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Rehabilitation and Therapy
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Focus is on the use and participation of meaningful activities to improve the quality of life of an individual in AAT intervention.
For these purposes, it is aimed to develop correct posture and walking pattern, mobility of the pelvis and hip region, head and trunk control, muscle tone and strength, sense regulation, social communication, self-confidence and empathy, motor and cognitive skills.
It is thought that the ability of individuals to improve their skills, function, and quality of life can be improved by pet ownership, care of animals, and regular dog interaction during sessions.
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AAT may involve adopting a pet to live at home, taking part in a community therapy animal program, or visiting a facility in which therapy animals live. This can also often provide an opportunity for patients to get out and about, socialise with peers, and even take part in gentle exercise.
What are the benefits?
Animal-assisted therapy boasts many proven benefits, including:
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Improved fine motor skills, strength, and balance
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Increased self-esteem and self-worth
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Reduced anxiety and depression
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Reducing experience of loneliness and isolation
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Reduced risk of a heart attack or stroke
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Improved interpersonal and communication skills
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Improved sense of purpose and motivation
Animal Assisted Learning
The focus of AAL is on education and learning specific skills as defined by the individual or group, such as defining company goals, leadership skills for a school group, managing vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue, coping with change or increasing team communication to name a few.
These sessions are tailored to meet your team's unique goals.
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Animal-assisted learning boasts many proven benefits, including:
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Reduce anxieties
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Help to develop social skills
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Emotional Regulation
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Aiding attainment in literacy
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Talking therapies
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Emotional regulation
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Improving negative behaviour
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Boosting self-esteem and confidence
Consultancy Interventions:
Offers animal-assisted interventions consultancy to schools, colleges, and universities to suit the needs of your students, working in a flexible, nurturing, and therapeutic way. Our Animal-Assisted Intervention practitioners are educational professionals who have a wealth of knowledge and experience of working with young people with varying needs.
School Dog Affiliate
Training program for schools across Australia to provide a safe and effective means to provide animal-assisted interventions in school with the schools staff members own dog. The program not only focuses on training of the dog but of the handler ensuring all health and safety considerations are met, an understanding of canine behaviour along with ensuring safe and effective implementation of the interventions with the welfare of the dog and safety of all involved held at the core of all work undertaken.
University Interventions
Students can be faced with overwhelming pressures financially and socially whilst at the same time trying to study and transition into adulthood. Assisted Learning can bring wellbeing benefits to your students and staff.
Therapeutic Interventions with animals
Using animals in treatments has many advantages.
The presence of animals and their direct involvement in treatments have positive effects on people at various levels.
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Physical: animals promote physical well being, contributing to the normalization of the cardiovascular system, creating a pleasant feeling in the body, reducing stress, and encouraging more exercise.
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Mental health: animals improve - among other things - the ability to concentrate, the ability to learn new skills, and general mental agility.
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Cognitive: animals promote involvement in activities, communication skills, language development and contact with the outside world.
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Emotional: animals soothe the human psyche, reduce the risk of suicide, make people laugh, reduce the feeling of loneliness, and increase self-esteem.
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Social: animals contribute to learning and improving social skills such as accepting criticism, making compromises, and solving conflicts.
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Motor activity: animals contribute to the promotion of movement, and coordination and improve overall mobility.
Interaction with animals can provide a sense of peace, purpose, companionship, and love.
Developing a bond with animals also promotes self-worth, self-esteem, and trust
Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) provide opportunities for motivational, educational, therapeutic, and recreational benefits to enhance the quality of life.
