Introduction
Programmes using animals to initiate behaviour change in children have often been targeted towards younger, primary aged children. Certainly the small amount of evidence that does exist is focused on programmes with a younger age group.
However animal assisted therapy (AAT) and animal assisted intervention (AAI) programmes for older secondary age children can be just as beneficial, therapeutic and worthwhile as those delivered to their younger counterparts.
Examples exist where secondary age children have been engaged in animal assisted therapy programmes for some time, the Ian Mikado school in Tower Hamlets being a prime example of an effective programme focused on improving behaviour in challenging and difficult children and young people. In Kent, the organisation Childs Best Friend have been offering a support programme to children in Secondary schools with mild and emerging emotional health and behavioural issues.
What these interventions have found is that by using animals, mainly dogs, we can influence and make positive behaviour change for some children. Whilst AAI and AAT may not be a panacea, for some children animals can represent an intervention which can make a real change for them when other, more traditional approaches may have failed.
Many of these positive changes may be observed through the positive interactions with the animals and from the content of the respective programmes, in the case of child’s best friend the children follow a basic obedience programme, by working with the dogs and learning about their behaviour the children can be supported to examine and change their own.
The child’s best friend programme is currently subject to a research project and is due to report its findings in 2012.
The Setting
The secondary school and classroom is a very different place to those found in the primary setting.
- Schools themselves are much larger
- So are the children
- As is the noise they generate
These must be key considerations when assessing the suitability of your dog or any other animal to enter a secondary school setting.
Secondary schools are incredible large complex organisations containing up to 1500 pupils and as many as 300 staff.
Given the size, organisation of visits can be an issue.
Communication can be difficult between departments and certain staff may be surprised at your arrival for example.
Space to deliver the sessions can also be problematic; rooms may not have been arranged etc.
With these considerations in mind it is vitally important that we attempt to arrange everything clearly with the school before arrival. This is the best way for us to avoid any of the issues listed above.
The Content
Within the child’s best friend programme content within secondary schools is built on the same principles and approaches as the primary interventions.
As such the core of the programme in both settings is as follows:
Basic Obedience – Children would be encouraged to teach the dog basic obedience skills and techniques whilst being fully supervised by the handler.
Grooming – Children would have the opportunity to care for the dogs and be taught about the importance of this by the handler.
Discussions – Scenarios and role-plays can be very useful to stimulate group discussion which relate to behaviour change.
There are some obvious and key differences between conducting work in Secondary schools as opposed to Primary. The main points are:
Maturity – Secondary age children have different needs and concerns to those of primary age children, we must be prepared for the possibility of more adult language and discussion
Ability – With regards to the basic obedience elements of the programme, some secondary age children will be able to progress faster and reach a higher ability than primary age children. We need to ensure that we have enough activities available to ensure children are engaged, challenged and stimulated for the entire programme.
Need – Often the needs of secondary age children are very different to those in the primary classroom. As young people mature the effect of problematic home lives can present in different ways. Also young people may need more practical support as they get older. For adolescents empowerment is crucial to successful outcomes, wherever possible young people need to be assisted to solve their problems themselves with support.
This article aims to give a very brief introduction to the work of Childs Best Friend, a leading innovative provider of animal assisted therapy and animal assisted interventions for children and young people. Please visit their website for further details.
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