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Applied Sciences
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Trends and Prospects in Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI)
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Trends and Prospects in Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI)

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Green Sustainable Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2023) | Viewed by 1896

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Franco Mutinelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division Animal Experimentation and Welfare, National Reference Laboratory for Honey Bee Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
Interests: animal pathology; animal experimentation and welfare; honey bee diseases; disease control; environmental monitoring; regulations
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Laura Contalbrigo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Reference Centre for Animal Assisted Interventions, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Viale Dell’Università 10, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy
Interests: animal assisted interventions; human–animal bond; dog and horse behaviour; dog and horse welfare; dog and horse breeding; shelter medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Applied Sciences titled “Trends and Prospects in Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI)”.

The One Welfare concept recognises the interconnections between animal welfare, human wellbeing and the environment. One of the five sections that made up this theoretical framework is animal-assisted intervention (AAI). However, the practical application of the One Welfare framework in AAI programs lacks guidelines and protocols at the moment. Therefore, its implementation in animal-assisted therapy, education, or activities involving domestic animals in different contexts needs to be investigated.

This Special Issue is addressed to collect theoretical and practical research focused on the methodology and design of AAI and all practical tips to improve the application of the One Welfare framework in this field.

Dr. Franco Mutinelli
Dr. Laura Contalbrigo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • One Welfare
  • animal-assited interventions (AAI)
  • animal-assisted therapy
  • animal-assisted education
  • animal-assisted activities
  • multidisciplinary team
  • human wellbeing
  • animal welfare
  • AAI setting
  • AAI design
  • AAI methodology

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 897 KiB  
Article
Equine-Assisted Activities (EAAs) for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Positive Effects Revealed Using an Ethological Approach
by Barbara Collacchi, Noémie Pinchaud, Marta Borgi and Francesca Cirulli
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7417; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/app13137417 - 22 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1546
Abstract
Equine-assisted activities (EAAs) are considered a suitable innovative rehabilitative practice for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While standardized scales have been previously used as a tool to evaluate the effects of EAAs on different domains of functioning in ASD [...] Read more.
Equine-assisted activities (EAAs) are considered a suitable innovative rehabilitative practice for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While standardized scales have been previously used as a tool to evaluate the effects of EAAs on different domains of functioning in ASD children, few studies have considered an ethological approach as a means to describe human–horse interactions in the context of ASD. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the behavior of 19 children with ASD, in comparison with 19 typically developing children (TD), during EAA sessions. We developed an ethogram from the video recordings to assess spatial relationships, social interactions, and communicative behaviors displayed by the child toward the horse, as well as the occurrence of problem behaviors. Results indicate that children’s behaviors during EAA sessions are modulated by sex and age, while previous children’s experience with EAAs appeared to improve interpersonal distance and horse handling. Results from this study highlight the importance of exploring children’s behavioral responses during animal-assisted activities through direct measurements. This may allow linking the quality/strength of the child–horse relationship to the benefits obtained by the child, particularly in the social/communicative domain, a core symptom of ASD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends and Prospects in Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI))
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