Canine-Assisted Interpersonal Development in an Independent Living Setting for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Anna Slusser

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Anna Slusser. Canine-assisted Interpersonal Development In an Independent Living Setting for Adults with Developmental Disabilities. . 2022. uindy.palni-palci-staging.notch8.cloud/concern/etds/c854b794-868e-410f-ac61-bd59505f1f0d?locale=en.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

A. Slusser. (2022). Canine-Assisted Interpersonal Development in an Independent Living Setting for Adults with Developmental Disabilities. https://uindy.palni-palci-staging.notch8.cloud/concern/etds/c854b794-868e-410f-ac61-bd59505f1f0d?locale=en

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Anna Slusser. Canine-Assisted Interpersonal Development In an Independent Living Setting for Adults with Developmental Disabilities. 2022. https://uindy.palni-palci-staging.notch8.cloud/concern/etds/c854b794-868e-410f-ac61-bd59505f1f0d?locale=en.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Anna Slusser

Abstract

Many individuals with ID/DD have challenging behaviors (CB) which may cause household conflict (Bowring et al., 2019; McGill et al., 2018). Scorzato et al. conducted a pilot study and found animal-assisted therapy (AAT) had a significant effect on basic social skills, communication, cooperation, and participation, specifically in group settings, for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (Scorzato et al., 2017). A six-session Canine-Assisted Team Building Program was designed and implemented to increase Core Members’ team skills to reduce household conflict by focusing on problem-solving, decision-making, communication, participation, and collaboration. Program outcomes were determined through Core Member reports on the pre/post-test assessment, the Team-Effectiveness Scale, and the Animal-Based Program Feedback Survey. Using narrative analysis, outcomes indicated an improvement in team-building skills and knowledge in all areas and participants reported positive feedback regarding therapy dog incorporation. These outcomes show that canine-assisted group sessions focused on team-building can improve individuals' knowledge of conflict resolution skills. According to the CASS Housing staff and Core Members, the therapy dog in-training motivated individuals to attend and participate in classes as well as work together as a team.

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