TWEETHEARTS: AVIAN ASSISTED INTERVENTION
INTERVENTION AND BEHAVIOR SERVICES
Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) (C-AAIS)
Avian-Assisted Interventions
Social Skills Interventions (SSI)
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Parrot Behavior Consultant (CPBC)
Educational Setting Interventions
Applied Animal Behavior (CAAB)
Home-Based Interventions
Animal-Assisted Interventions
“Social skills interventions (SSIs) are one of the most commonly utilized treatment approaches for autistic individuals across the lifespan, with the goal of mitigating negative impacts of the social communication differences associated with autism, including peer rejection, social isolation, and poor mental health” (Moody et al.; 2022). Peer, group, and social interactions are fundamental to the development of students and individuals with ASD and EBD, and the ability to engage and interact with others provides the most pivotal integration of foundational social skills that will instruct and guide individuals for the rest of their lives.
Avian-Assisted Interventions
Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) in a classroom can be a groundbreaking and foundational social skills program that will provide a gateway to mitigate social isolation and communicative deficits by increasing social interactions, decreasing anxiety, increasing positive moods and behaviors and a desire to interact and engage with both humans and animals. Temple Grandin’s story provides insight into the connection she had with animals, specifically horses and cattle. “The therapeutic use of animals has been debated for decades, and its use explored in a variety of settings and populations” (Bert et al.; 2016). Furthermore, “animal-intervention programs [have] suggested various benefits such as reducing stress, pain and anxiety [and] the human relationship with animals can be useful and relatively safe” (Bert et al.; 2016).
Animal-Assisted Intervention may be implemented in a classroom or in small groups, in an educational setting or in a clinical setting, it can be implemented with students in age groups from preschool through high school, as well as with adults. Animal-Assisted Intervention with populations of students with ASD and EBD and anxiety disorders can be beneficial in creating a social skills and positive peer interaction learning environment conducive to long-term social and emotional learning that can directly align with curriculum and engage students in real world relationship building and communication.
Having utilized AAI in an educational setting, results have included an increase in academics and positive peer interaction and engagement, greater levels of socialization within a classroom environment, a complete cessation of negative behaviors including aggression and elopement, an interest in something other than technology, verbal communication, sharing, and a desire to learn more about the specific animal being utilized. The current Animal-Assisted Intervention Program I have created and implemented successfully relies on the use of Conures. Birds, especially parrots require handling and interaction at an early age to tame them into being able to be handled, along with regular and frequent handling and interaction, very little additional efforts are needed to implement an Animal-Assisted Intervention with Conures.
The Conures I have trained wear diapers and interact with students for the entirety of the day, when I am working in a classroom setting, whether it is general education, resource, EBD, CLC, FLC, or life skills. The spans of time for interaction are easily limited to maintain academic progress and daily routine, and AAI of this nature is not always an intervention that is utilized on a daily basis. An understanding of animal behavior is a benefit, but not necessarily a requirement or a prerequisite.
Animal-Assisted Therapy
The use of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) has been implemented successfully in educational settings as well as hospitals and other environments for decades, with great benefit to those who receive such intervention. “Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is a health intervention, meant to improve physical, social, emotional or cognitive functioning, with animals as integral part of the treatment [and] the therapeutic use of animals [has been] argued for decades and many associations employ [such] interventions in order to improve care” (Bert et al.; 2016). Additionally, “the interest shown by the scientific community is proven not only by the amount of articles published (432 articles), but also by the specific trainings offered by many universities and in particular by the inception of specific law to regulate this practice” (Bert at al.; 2016).
The secret is not in the birds...
...it's in who you share them with.
