Date Approved

5-21-2019

Embargo Period

6-4-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. Special Education

Department

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Accardo, Amy

Committee Member 1

Kuder, Sydney J.

Committee Member 2

Shuff, Midge

Keywords

Animal-Assisted Therapy

Subject(s)

Anxiety in children; Children with disabilities; Psychiatric service dogs in education

Disciplines

Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of animal-assisted therapy on the anxiety and school attendance of students with disabilities in a middle school language and learning disabled classroom. A single subject design with ABAB phases was utilized. Students participated in animal-assisted therapy during the beginning of their science class period. The anxiety levels of student participants were assessed through the use of Ottawa-Georgia scales for stress across all baseline and intervention phases. Student attendance was tracked using a student roster attendance sheet during each day of the phases. In addition, students complete a Likert scale survey regarding their satisfaction with the use of animal-assisted therapy in the classroom. The results from this study suggest that student participation in animal-assisted therapy decreased student anxiety levels while increasing student attendance. Also, student participants indicated strong satisfaction with the use of animal-assisted therapy in the classroom.

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