Animal Assisted Therapy for Special Needs Children

Hello Valued Supporters!

Since we last reported to you, the year began with evaluation of participants in order to plan a therapeutic program for the year ahead.

In general, four streams of evaluation are undertaken each year: 

·       Evaluation of individual participants

·       Evaluation of individual staff members

·       Evaluation of the effectiveness of the AAT program at the Zoo

·       Evaluation of the effectiveness of Animal Assisted Therapy as a therapeutic modality

In this report, we will deal with two areas of evaluation:

1.       Evaluation of Participants

At the beginning of each school year, the AAT team pays an advance visit to the organizations sending participants in order to observe the children and to learn about their individual needs and relationships with their families and teachers. This provides the counselors with an opportunity to speak directly to teachers in order to gather as much background information as possible about each particular child. It also allows for joint goal setting with the children’s teachers.

During the initial three AAT sessions, the team carry out their own assessments of the participants and then plan the therapy according to the performance level of each special needs child, taking into account which experiences will fit the children’s needs and developmental goals. An evaluation of each participant is then undertaken at the mid-point of the school year in order to assess the progress made and which areas require special attention. A final evaluation is conducted at the close of the school year and recommendations are provided to the source institution regarding the future therapy of each participant.

2.  Evaluation of Effectiveness of the AAT Program at the Zoo

It is very important for us to obtain feedback every year from the institutions that we serve in order to constantly monitor and improve our effectiveness. In addition to individual evaluations, we also conduct global evaluations by polling the participating institutions at the end of each year. Participating institutions are asked to rate the AAT program’s effectiveness by providing scores of:

Excellent     Very good    Satisfactory     Poor

The scores were given on the basis of how the AAT program has helped participants in the following areas:

·       ability to express emotion

·       social ability

·       self-esteem

·       development of curiosity and openness

·       ability to cope with fears

·       problem solving

·       overall mental/emotional health

Participating organizations were also asked to rate the manner in which the program is administered with reference to:

·       communication with therapists

·       flow of information

·       cost of transportation

·       Zoo staff professionalism

·       overall satisfaction

According to the feedback questionnaires we receive from the institutions that work with us, and the conversations conducted with them, the percentage of success and satisfaction for last year’s program is particularly high. A number of principals approached the Project Coordinator personally to commend our team who worked with dedication and efficiency. A quote from a third grade teacher from the Tidhar School:  

"I express my appreciation to the Zoo’s therapeutic team - the students returned every week with many new experiences and it was clear that they had undergone a positive and productive treatment process. Thank you!"

Overall the program continues to be sought-after and successful. We are grateful to you, our valued supporters, for making it possible!

The Animal Assisted Therapy Team at the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo