Figure 1. An 8-year old boy participating in Read to a Dog program at the Brook Hollow Branch Library in San Antonio, Texas.
Helen L. Montoya/ San Antonio Express-News (2014) Retrieved from https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/health-family/article/Time-for-tales-and-tails-5138795.php
For many children the idea and task
of reading aloud is daunting. Reading aloud in general can be stressful and
challenging but reading in front of peers or adults is even worse for many
children. For some children this fear of judgment from others while reading
aloud keeps them from reading at all, which is detrimental to their development
and literacy skills. This is why there are programs in place where young
readers can practice reading aloud not in front of a mentor or peer, but in
front of a dog. The article “Canine Visitors: The Influence of
Therapy Dogs on Young Children’s Learning and Well-Being in Classrooms and
Hospitals” discusses the positive impact the presence of a therapy dog can have
in stressful situations, like the classroom.
It
was found in a study that stress is lowered more while children are reading out
loud with the company of a dog than with the company of a supportive peer or
adult. The presence of a dog while practicing reading aloud can boost the confidence
of the child because the dog does not correct them or make them feel awkward if
they stumble or make mistakes. The company of a dog can lower heart rate, blood
pressure, and other symptoms caused by stress and anxiety. Reading Education Assistance Dogs
program or (READ) is the most well-known reading therapy dog organization. It
originated in 1999 in Salt Lake City and was founded by Intermountain Therapy
Animals. According to Kathly Klotz, the Executive Director of Intermountain
Therapy Dogs, all of the students who took part in the READ program improved
their reading skills by at least 2 grade levels over 13 months. Another
successful reading therapy dog organization, Carolina Canines for Service,
helped fifteen second graders improve their reading skills by at least two
grade levels as well. Once a week the organization paired each student with a therapy
dog for twenty minutes for the duration of the school year.
In addition to improving reading
skills, therapy dogs in the classroom can promote the inclusion of children
with disabilities. A study found that the likelihood of a child with disabilities
being approached by one of their peers and interacted with was ten times greater
if there was a service dog present. In the presence of animals, children are
more likely to open up, which can lead them to feeling more comfortable.
Research found that over “70% of children of all ages do tend to talk to and confide
in animals” (Jalongo, Astorino, & Bombay, 2004, p. 10). This therapeutic effect
helps children break out of their shell and can help them work through emotional
problems if needed. According to Jalongo et al. (2004, p. 10), “canine visitation
programs that bring trained therapy dogs into contact with children in the
primary grades can offer a unique form of support to children’s learning, physical
health, and emotional well-being.”
There are some concerns such as
sanitation, allergies, and safety when introducing therapy dog programs to
schools and other public learning settings, but all of these issues are
addressed as best as possible. Regarding sanitation and allergies, all therapy
dogs are groomed and bathed right before going to a school. This helps to
reduce the presence of animal dander, the biggest source of allergic reactions,
from the dog’s fur. In addition, if a child has serious allergies, hypo
allergenic therapy dogs can be brought in and sessions can be held in larger
airy rooms or outdoors. Concerning safety, all therapy and service dogs and
their handlers undergo training and have to past a certification test before
being allowed to be with children in the classroom. In addition, the handler
and dog are intensely assessed and re-evaluated annually in order to renew
their certification.
There are also some recommendations
for how to introduce therapy dogs to a classroom and to individual children. The
first recommendation is to only work with registered and certified therapy dogs
and to get parental permission before letting a child work with a therapy dog.
The second recommendation is to prepare the children before hand and inform
them how to interact with the dog. In addition, it is important to keep the
safety and well-being of the dog in mind as well by not overworking them and
making sure the children do not harm it anyway. Lastly, it is necessary to decide
which children are best fit to work with a therapy dog and will benefit the
most from the experience.
Overall, the presence of therapy
dogs in classrooms and libraries is very beneficial and can help children
overcome their obstacles and fears. Therapy dogs can serve many purposes and
help many children. Whether it be through improving their reading skills, causing
them to be more included, or helping them work through emotional problems there
are multiple positive effects.
References
Jalongo, M. R., Astorino, T.,
Bomboy, N. 2004. Canine Visitors: The Influence of
Therapy Dogs on Young Children’s Learning and Well-Being in Classrooms and
Hospitals. Early Childhood Education
Journal, 32 (1), 9-16. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1023%2FB%3AECEJ.0000039638.60714.5f.pdf
I was interested in this article because I have volunteered to help people with therapy animals before and I think its wonderful! Your blog is structured great, it was easy to follow, informative, and had accurate apa citations. Maybe include some background about the author who wrote your article, or a real life experience (anecdote) that you have that relates to your topic. You might also want to consider if any other types of therapy animals could be used? Overall, really good post!
ReplyDeleteGreat article! I loved this topic because I am a huge dog lover, I volunteer at the Humane Society and firmly believe in the therapeutic benefits of dogs. Perfect structure of this article, it was cohesive and very easy to interpret and follow. I would consider adding if therapy dogs for reading help a specific age group. For example, observing the benefits of these dog for elementary readers versus college level readers. Other than that, I really enjoyed this article. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this blogpost! The whole idea of practicing reading aloud with a dog just warms my heart. I had heard of bringing dogs to colleges during final week to take away from the stress, but I had never heard of children reading with them. One thing that I thought about when reading this blogpost is if another animal would also have the same effects on children or if it is just dogs. Overall really great blogpost, it was very well organized and easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteI have seen children reading to therapy dogs, first hand, and it is very endearing. These dogs are a comfort to these kids and they help them to learn. I am actually training my dog to be a therapy dog to do things like this, so you can see why I enjoy your topic so much. You do a great job of explaining the significance and I like how you don't explain the background in depth because you realize your audience probably knows what a therapy dog is.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article. I am glad I read it because I never knew about this program before and let me say I wish I had this when I was younger. I was scared to read out loud when I was younger so it made this article even more relevant to me. Your post was organized well with sufficent examples from your source. I would add the many age groups that these dogs can help and even if any other animals can provide this therapy. Overall, a great article.
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