Effect of Animal Assisted Education with a Dog Within Children with ADHD in the Classroom: A Case Study
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Effect of Animal Assisted Education with a Dog Within Children with ADHD in the Classroom: A Case Study Veronika Juríčková1,2 · Adéla Bozděchová3 · Kristýna Machová4 · Mariana Vadroňová4 Accepted: 7 October 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The aim of the case study was the evaluation of the effect of Animal-assisted education (AAE) within the two children (Tobias and Emily) diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). AAE took part in a private primary school during one school year. AAE was practiced with a dog. The severity of ADHD symptoms was evaluated by the teacher using The Conners Scale: Teacher Questionnaire (Conners in American Journal of Psychiatry 126: 884–888, 1969) before and after AAE. Results of the teacher’s rating, and teacher’s and experimenter’s observation showed the beneficial effect of participation of a dog in the classroom. A decrease in the severity of ADHD symptoms, as well as the improvement in concentration, communication with teachers, and co-operation with their peers in the classroom, was observed. Based on the study results, using a dog as a part of AAE within children with ADHD appears to be a beneficial activity, and an alternative treatment method to eliminate the ADHD symptoms. However, further researches are needed to support our findings. Keywords Child · ADHD · Education · Dog · AAE · Case study The primary treatment approach for children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is medication (Danielson et al. 2018; Leuzinger-Bohleber, 2010) that can show the short-term behavior improvement in terms of attention and hyperactivity (Duric, Assmus, Gundersen, & Elgen, 2012). However, there is a lack of research on the long-term effects of medication (Susan & Myers, 2008). Medication treatment has not confirmed positive long-term effects on academic outcomes (Langberg & Becker, 2012), cognition (Swanson, Baler, & Volkow, 2011), social relationships (Mrug, Molina, Hoza, Gerdes, Hinshaw, Hechtman, * Kristýna Machová [email protected] 1
Department of Applied Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, National Institute of Mental Health, 25067 Klecany, Czech Republic
2
First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, 12108 Prague, Czech Republic
3
Private Elementary School and Kindergarten Adélka, Mašovice, Domazlice, Czech Republic
4
Department of Ethology and Companion Animal Science, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 16521 Prague, Czech Republic
& Arnold, 2012), or functional impairment and adaptive behaviors (Epstein, Langberg, Lichtenstein, Altaye, Brinkman, House, & Stark, 2011) in children with ADHD (for review see Schuck, Emmerson, Fine, & Lakes, 2015). For this reason, many parents and teachers are looking for some alternative methods to manage ADHD symptoms in their children (Susan & Myers, 2008). Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a worldwide prevalence among c
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