Assessment and characterisation of animal-assisted interventions proposed to children with autism spectrum disorders in France

La médiation animale ou activité assistée par l’animal (AAA) fait émerger une nouvelle catégorie d’animaux d’utilité dans laquelle les animaux sont au service du bien-être et de la santé des personnes. Les AAA connaissent un réel succès auprès de nombreux publics et les enfants atteints de troubles du spectre autistique (TSA) n’y font pas exception. Les TSA sont des maladies neurodéveloppementales qui requièrent une prise en charge précoce, continue, globale et coordonnée par une équipe pluridisciplinaire. Dans le cadre des TSA, les AAA ne sont pas des thérapies, mais elles peuvent constituer un support de prise en charge, couramment employé par les établissements médico-sociaux. Il n’existe cependant aucune donnée permettant d’évaluer l’ampleur du phénomène et les pratiques du terrain. Aussi avons-nous entrepris de dresser un état des lieux des AAA destinées aux enfants avec TSA dans le cadre de leur prise en charge par les structures médico-sociales en France métropolitaine. Un questionnaire a été diffusé auprès de 2645 établissements et 386 y ont répondu. 60,1% des structures sondées mettent en place des AAA dans la prise en charge des enfants atteints TSA. Les espèces sollicitées, les modalités des activités et les principaux écueils ont pu être précisés. Malgré la forte motivation des structures et leur volonté de poursuivre l’AAA, les difficultés rencontrées sur le terrain sont nombreuses. Un accompagnement des structures par une équipe pluridisciplinaire serait des plus opportuns afin de les guider dans les AAA. L’implication de vétérinaires ou autres spécialistes de l’animal est particulièrement déficiente et serait primordiale pour mettre en place des bonnes pratiques avec les animaux et veiller au respect de leur bien-être.Animal assisted interventions (AAI) cause the emergence of a new category of service animals which aim to improve welfare and good health of people. AAI are very successful and are proposed to a variety of audiences including children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). ASD are neurodevelopmental conditions which require early, continuous, global and coordinate interventions needing involvement of an interdisciplinary team. AAI are not a therapy but can be a support for management and treatment of ASD. AAI are common in intervention facilities for children with ASD but there is no data to assess the extent and the practices of AAI. We decided to make an assessment of AAI for children with ASD within intervention facilities in France. A questionnaire was sent to 2645 facilities and 386 responded. 60,1% of surveyed facilities use AAI for children with ASD. A wide range of species, settings, professionals, activities and difficulties have all been able to be defined. Despite their strong motivation and their will to maintain the AAI, facilities encounter many difficulties. It would be appropriate to start providing information and guidance to help facilities in AAI. Involvement of veterinarians or other animal experts is especially missing and would be necessary in order to implement good practices with animals and to ensure animal welfare

Child-dog pairing in foster or institutional care: benefits and risks of a pilot project in France

A growing number of children live in foster or institutional care worldwide, compromising their health and social future. A child‑dog pairing program is being considered by the National Health Commission of the French Federation of Adoptive Families (Enfance & Familles d’Adoption (EFA), Paris, France). Our hypothesis is that the presence of a companion animal allows the foster child to develop their resilience skills, and fosters a secure attachment profile. Potential stakeholders in such a project represent 3 axes: the child, represented by professionals in the field of childhood (i.e., childhood educators, psychologists, and medical and socio‑medical staff); the animal, represented by professionals involved in care and education of animals (i.e., veterinarians, canine educators); and the institutions represented by professionals involved in administrative systems for foster children (i.e., administrative, legal, and educational officials). At this stage, the project considers hypothetical cases and not actual cases that professionals have experienced. A preliminary estimation of the benefits versus the risks of this project was sought by the EFA. To evaluate potential risks and benefits of a national pilot project for the placement of dogs in foster children in France. We questioned 59 stakeholders (±51.3 years of age) via a semi‑open questionnaire to comment and evaluate on the risks and benefits of pairing foster children with dogs along 3 main axes: the child, the animal, and the institutions. The expected risks/benefits ratios were estimated by the respondents at 27/73, 32/68 and 39/61 for the respective axes of the child, the animal, and the institutions (p<0.05). The expected bond between children and animals was frequently predicted by the respondents. Bonding was characterized as free, reliable, stable, and unconditional. The education of both the child and animal was suggested as a priority goal. From the animal perspective, the negative potential effect cited, was the risk of mistreatment. From the institutions’ perspective, concordant and expansive sensibilities for each of the administrative and institutional professionals were expected. However, overloading the institutions in terms of work and cost was reported as highly likely. Finally, the quality of the dog as a mediator was predicted in both biological and foster families, for whom in‑depth explanations and coaching were suggested as essential for the success of the project. Pairing dogs with foster children was estimated to cost 2.770 euros per year/pair. The current study confirms that the dog would be an obvious life partner for the foster child and that the current pilot project is desirable and feasible

Animal-Assisted Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Survey of French Facilities

Our survey of animal-assisted interventions (AAI) offered by French intervention facilities aimed to examine and describe the range of AAI for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children. We invited 2,302 facilities to reply to an online questionnaire. The responses to our survey (n = 386) revealed that animals were used extensively as a complementary intervention. Most AAI sessions were in groups. Various animal species (especially horses and dogs) and facility staff members as well as external collaborators were involved. Numerous benefits (e.g., enhanced well-being, self-esteem, and socialization) were reported. Facilities face difficulties in connection with AAI including finances, staffing, and scheduling constraints. However, these problems do not affect staffs’ motivation. This is the first large-scale survey giving a qualitative and quantitative picture of AAI practices in an entire country