Effects of Dolphin-assisted Therapy on the Social and Communication Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Although several studies have shown that dolphin-assisted therapy (DAT) may be beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), most of these studies have methodological weaknesses. This study tested the effectiveness of DAT in improving the social and communicative skills of children with ASD. We used a pretest- posttest design with a control group. The 48 participants were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: age between 4 and 5 years, diagnosis of ASD, and clear impairment in communication. Participants were randomly assigned to the groups: DAT and Therapy Without Dolphins (TWD). The research lasted 10 weeks. The intervention phase lasted 6 weeks and consis…