The people at Brain Fitness Strategies think so. They have added AAT, Animal Assisted Therapy, to their exercise program for kids (and adults) with behavior challenges and learning disabilities. “Studies have proven that contact with animals lowers stress, raises test scores, and improves focus,” explained Susan Phariss, one of the coaches and Rhythmic Movement Practitioners at Brain Fitness Strategies. She continued, “Because learning can’t happen when the brain is under stress, we do everything we can to help our clients relax and have fun.” Their success rate seems to support that.
When Bixby Public Schools partnered with Brain Fitness Strategies last year for a study on the benefits of RMT, Rhythmic Movement Training, they were surprised at the level of improvement each of the students in the study gained. Special education teacher Melissa Lytle reported, “The treatment group’s reading score at the end of the study was 158% higher than the control group—and the kids loved every minute of it.” Phariss brought the dogs to school as a reward for the kids’ cooperation and participation in the study. “With results like that, why change the recipe?”
Carefully selected and trained, Sassy and Gracie love their work as doggy therapists. Because many of the clients have immune challenges and allergies, standard poodles were the breed of choice for Phariss because they are hypoallergenic. Both dogs have toured the country making kids laugh at their antics as they gave elementary school assemblies about friendship skills and positive reinforcement. They have also promoted the Summer Reading Program in Oklahoma libraries for years. Getting to work one-on-one with the kids makes both dogs and kids wag their tails.
“It’s so fun working with kids and dogs,” Phariss beamed. Parents like the program because their kids are motivated by getting to play with the dogs. “Justin loves those dogs,” parent June Smith marveled. Getting to train the dogs is part of Justin’s reward when he does his exercises right. “Justin would jump through the hoop himself if it meant he could see Susan and the dogs.”
The dogs are particularly effective when working with kids on the autism spectrum disorder, kids with sensory processing disorder, and kids with other developmental delays.
Rhythmic Movement Training is an exercise program based on the movements that infants make in their first year of life. Those movements are the basis for healthy brain development and can be used at any stage of life. Some of the adult clients have had strokes, others have had brain injuries, and others have suffered from severe anxiety disorders. “By including the dogs in our sessions, we see our clients make progress faster,” Phariss added.
Animal Assisted Therapy has been around for years, but only recently have studies proven why it works. Contact with animals causes humans to produce oxytocin, a brain chemical most often thought of as part of the birth and bonding experience of mothers and their newborn babies. In her landmark book, Made for Each Other, author Meg Olmert reports oxytocin has been proven to lower blood pressure and heart rates, reduce fight-or-flight impulses, calm kids with Autism and hyperactivity, and boost the immune system.
Adapted from a Press Release
Susan Phariss, Brain Fitness Coach
Brain Fitness Strategies LLC
2551 ALT 75
Mounds, Oklahoma 74047
Phone: 918-629-2689
Tags: Animal Assisted Therapy, behavior challenges, Brain Fitness Strategies, Learning Disabilities, Rhythmic Movement Practitioners