Improvement of Self-Esteem in Children with Specific Learning Disorders after Donkey-Assisted Therapy

Dyslexia is a learning disorder related to receptive language characterized by difficulties with decoding, fluent word recognition, automatic naming skills and/or reading comprehension skills. It usually leads to severe functional impairment and the permanent need for support and interventions. Sinc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Children (Basel) Vol. 10; no. 3; p. 425
Main Authors:	Corallo, Francesco, Bonanno, Lilla, Cardile, Davide, Luvarà, Francesca, Giliberto, Silvia, Di Cara, Marcella, Leonardi, Simona, Quartarone, Angelo, Rao, Giuseppe, Pidalà, Alessandra
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland MDPI AG 22-02-2023 MDPI
Subjects:	Animal assisted therapy Animal cognition animal-assisted intervention children Children & youth Communication Disability Dyslexia Families & family life Group therapy Learning disabilities Neuropsychology Physiological aspects Reading comprehension Rehabilitation Self esteem United States self-esteem rehabilitation animal-assisted intervention children dyslexia
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Summary:	Dyslexia is a learning disorder related to receptive language characterized by difficulties with decoding, fluent word recognition, automatic naming skills and/or reading comprehension skills. It usually leads to severe functional impairment and the permanent need for support and interventions. Since animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have been found to improve physical, emotional, cognitive and/or social functioning in humans, the aim of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of onotherapy on children with SLD by improving self-esteem and school performance. Sixteen patients with a diagnosis of dyslexia were randomly assigned to two treatment groups: the first was a conventional neuropsychological group therapy without onotherapy, and the second was a neuropsychological group therapy incorporating AAIs with therapy donkeys. The neuropsychological assessment included the WISC-IV, DDE and the TMA test, which were administered before and after the treatment in both groups. The results of the experimental group show significant improvement in word reading test correctness ( = 0.03) and speed ( = 0.03), non-word reading test speed ( = 0.01), reading text test correctness ( = 0.05) and speed ( = 0.03), word writing test correctness ( = 0.01), non-word writing test correctness ( = 0.02), writing sentences with homophonic words correctness ( = 0.01), interpersonal TMA ( = 0.04) and the total TMA ( = 0.04), which were significative. On the other hand, in the control group, significant differences were found in word reading test speed ( = 0.01), non-word reading test speed ( = 0.04), reading text test speed ( = 0.02), writing word test correctness ( = 0.01), writing non-word test correctness ( = 0.01) and writing sentences with homophonic words ( = 0.01). However, in this group, we observed no significant difference in the esteem of children. Training associated with the donkeys determined improved scholastic performances as far as reading is concerned and a change in self-esteem. Therefore, we can state that AAIs for dyslexia could be a viable and effective option to enhance the rehabilitation process, increase self-esteem and improve cognitive functions and language skills recovery.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	2227-9067 2227-9067
DOI:	10.3390/children10030425