Animal-assisted Therapy - Criticisms of Animal-assisted Therapy

Criticisms of Animal-assisted Therapy

Although animal assisted therapy has been considered a new way to deal with depression, anxiety, and childhood aliments such as Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Autism there has been criticism as to the effectiveness of the process. According to Lilienfeld and Arkowitz animal-assisted therapy is better considered a temporary fix. They point to the lack of longitudinal data or research to see if there is evidence for long term improvement in patients undergoing the therapy. They then suggest that this further supports the idea that AAT is more of an affective method of therapy rather than a behavioral treatment. They also state the dangers of these therapy programs in particular the Dolphin assisted therapy. Dolphin assisted therapy has not been shown to have significant results when dealing with a child's behavior. Instead Lilienfeld suggest that again animal assisted therapy might be a short term reinforcer, not a long term one. They also suggest that studies dealing with children should look into more balanced measures, such as having one group of children in the Dolphin group and the other in a setting where they still receive positive reinforcement. It is also suggested that DAT is harmful to the dolphins themselves; by taking dolphins out of their natural environment and putting them in captivity for therapy can be hazardous to their well being.

Heimlich discussed in her study of AAT's effect on severely disabled children that without evidence that this type of therapy works outside a laboratory setting, assumptions can not be made that it is an effective form of therapy.