Effect of a Canine-Assisted Read Aloud Intervention on Reading Ability and Physiological Response: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Simple SummaryCanine-assisted reading aloud programs have been attracting growing interest because reading to a dog may contribute to the reading performance of children. The positive effect of a canine-assisted reading aloud program, however, received limited empirical support. Specifically, most of the current papers were papers of expert opinions. The current pilot study aimed at providing preliminary evidence for the effects of reading to dogs on three lower-performing third-graders’ reading abilities and understanding their physiological stress responses. The findings of the study implied that canine-assisted reading aloud programs had potential to increase the reading fluency and relaxation level of children with lower performance when reading to a dog.AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine whether there is an increase in the reading fluency and accuracy of three lower performing third-graders after participating in a canine-assisted read-aloud program, as well as an increase in the relaxation level during and after the program. This study employed a pre-test-post-test design to test the hypotheses that gains would be made in both reading fluency and reading accuracy upon completion of the program. The three grade 3 students were assessed by the Chinese Character Reading Test and the Reading Fluency Test. During the intervention, they read to a trained canine in the presence of a handler. Three days after the completion of the seven 20-min interventions, the participants were assessed by the two standardized reading tests a second time. Heart rate variability (HRV) responses to the pre-test, the intervention and the post-test were recorded. The three grade 3 students attained a higher level of relaxation while reading to the dog and increased their reading fluency after the reading sessions. These results provided preliminary evidence that the canine-assisted read-aloud program can increase the reading performance of children with lower performance. Implications for future research and reading programs will be discussed.

Fisioterapia com brinquedos e terapia assistida por cães em lactentes: estudo observacional

“…Ademais, Nobre et al 27 e Lundqvist et al 7 demonstraram os benefícios que a TAA propicia aos pacientes, evidenciando sua contribuição para a socialização, afetividade, relaxamento, descontração, motricidade global, atenção, foco e interesse pelo ambiente. Um ambiente descontraído que promove sentimentos de alegria e relaxamento, como o deste estudo, foi relatado também no estudo de 9 . Um ambiente facilitador e feliz oferece vantagens físicas, cognitivas e sociais, ou seja, a terapia assistida por cães é um tipo de terapia em que atinge o indivíduo como um todo, de forma integral e global, para seu desenvolvimento.…”

“…A interação homem-animal é relatada como benéfica há muitos anos. Uma das formas que essa interação pode ser aproveitada é por meio da terapia assistida por animais (TAA), que consiste na utilização de animais com finalidade terapêutica 9 . A utilização do cão em terapias com crianças tem colaborado para aprimorar habilidades motoras, aumentar a autoestima, melhorar a interação social e reações comportamentais, promover descontração e alegria e oferecer segurança [10][11][12][13] .…”

Canine Ministries:Co‐Instrumentalityof Human and Dog in a Christian Ontology

“…Regardless of whether or not one assumes a religious stance on this subject, it is well‐documented that animal‐assisted intervention can be an effective tool for promoting comfort and openness in reluctant individuals. For example, the use of AAI in educational settings has allowed children with reading anxiety, learning disabilities, or both to read more effectively by instilling a sense that they are not being judged (Fung 2019; Gee and Fine 2019; Kirnan, Siminerio, and Wong 2016). Perhaps due to a similar effect, people are more willing to open up to chaplains when a ministry dog is present.…”

Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing and Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales in Companion and Animal-Assisted Interventions Dogs

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