Impacto da terapia assistida por animais na ansiedade e nas habilidades sociais de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
Resumo
Objetivo: Investigar a eficácia da Terapia Assistida por Animais na redução da ansiedade e na promoção da interação social em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro Autista. Métodos: Realizou-se uma revisão integrativa da literatura nas bases PubMed, BVS e Cochrane, utilizando descritores DeCS e MeSH , filtrando os estudos publicados entre 2020 e 2025, em inglês, português ou espanhol, com crianças com TEA avaliando redução da ansiedade e promoção da interação social. Excluíram-se artigos sem texto completo, sem foco na população infantil ou sem rigor metodológico. Após leitura de 17 textos completos, 14 artigos foram incluídos. Resultados: Os estudos revisados demonstraram que as intervenções com animais proporcionam redução significativa dos sintomas de ansiedade e melhoria na comunicação e interação social. Relatos indicam que a presença dos animais atua como mediadora emocional, facilitando a expressão afetiva e a participação social das crianças. Considerações finais: A Terapia Assistida por Animais revela-se uma estratégia promissora para o manejo dos sintomas do TEA, embora os achados sejam limitados por heterogeneidade metodológica.
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Copyright © | Todos os direitos reservados.
A revista detém os direitos autorais exclusivos de publicação deste artigo nos termos da lei 9610/98.
Reprodução parcial
É livre o uso de partes do texto, figuras e questionário do artigo, sendo obrigatória a citação dos autores e revista.
Reprodução total
É expressamente proibida, devendo ser autorizada pela revista.
Referências
2. ALARCÓN-BRAGA EA, et al. Animal-assisted therapy in dementia: an updated literature review. Aging Medicine and Healthcare, 2023; 14(1): 43-47.
3. ANG CS, MACDOUGALL FA. An evaluation of animal-assisted therapy for autism spectrum disorders: therapist and parent perspectives. Psychological Studies, 2022; 67(1): 72-81.
4. APPLEBY R, et al. Australian parents’ experiences of owning an autism assistance dog. Health and Social Care in the Community, 2022; 30: 4113–4121.
5. ARAUJO MORAIS LG, et al. Saúde mental: o papel da atenção primária à saúde. Brazilian Journal of Health Review, 2021; 4(3): 10475-10489.
6. ÁVILA-ÁLVAREZ A, et al. Improving social participation of children with autism spectrum disorder: pilot testing of an early animal-assisted intervention in Spain. Health and Social Care in the Community, 2020; 28(6): 2219–2228.
7. BEN-ITZCHAK E e ZACHOR DA. Dog training intervention improves adaptive social communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder: A controlled crossover study. Autism, 2021; 25(6): 1682-1693.
8. BERRY A, et al. Use of assistance and therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorders: a critical review of the current evidence. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2013; 19(2): 73–80.
9. CHEN CR, et al. Functional outcomes in a randomized controlled trial of animal-assisted therapy on middle-aged and older adults with schizophrenia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022; 19(10): 6270.
10. CHEN S, et al. Effects of therapeutic horseback-riding program on social and communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022; 19: 14449.
11. DIMOLAREVA M e DUNN TJ. Animal-assisted interventions for school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder: a meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2020; 50(12): 4430-4445.
12. DOYLE LONDON M, et al. Animal-assisted therapy for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Parent perspectives. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2020; 50(11): 4085–4097.
13. ERBACHER JCE e BÖRDLEIN C. Dog-assisted interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Research on Social Work Practice, 2025; 1–21.
14. GALVANY-LÓPEZ P, et al. The impact of dog-assisted therapy among children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review. Children, 2024; 11: 1499.
15. GRIFFIOEN RE, et al. Changes in behavioural synchrony during dog-assisted therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder and children with Down syndrome. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 2019; 32(6): 1256-1267.
16. HERNÁNDEZ-ESPESO N, et al. Effects of dolphin-assisted therapy on the social and communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder. Anthrozoös, 2021; 34(2): 251-266.
17. HILL JR, et al. “The connection just happens”: Therapists’ perspectives of canine-assisted occupational therapy for children on the autism spectrum. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2020b; 67(6): 505-517.
18. HILL JR, et al. Canine-assisted occupational therapy for children on the autism spectrum: Parents’ perspectives. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 2020a; 67(6): 495-504.
19. LEE SJ, et al. A text-mining analysis of research trends in animal-assisted therapy. Animals, 2023; 13(19): 3133.
20. MARINO L e LILIENFELD SO. Third time’s the charm or three strikes you’re out? An updated review of the efficacy of dolphin-assisted therapy for autism and developmental disabilities. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2021; 77(4): 849-865.
21. NIEFORTH LO, et al. Animal-assisted interventions for autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the literature from 2016 to 2020. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2023; 10(2): 255-280.
22. PAGE MJ, et al. A declaração PRISMA 2020: diretriz atualizada para relatar revisões sistemáticas. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 2023; 46: 112.
23. POLAK-PASSY Y, et al. Enhancing social communication behaviors in children with autism: the impact of dog training intervention on verbal and non-verbal behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 2024; 15: 1496915.
24. REHN AK, et al. The effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 2023; 50: 101719.
25. RODRIGO-CLAVEROL M, et al. Human–animal bond generated in a brief animal-assisted therapy intervention in adolescents with mental health disorders. Animals, 2023; 13(3): 358.
26. SISSONS JH, et al. Calm with horses? A systematic review of animal-assisted interventions for improving social functioning in children with autism. Autism, 2022; 26(6): 1320–1340.
27. SOUSA MNA, et al. Trilhando o caminho do conhecimento: o método de revisão integrativa para análise e síntese da literatura científica. Revista Observatorio de la Economia Latinoamericana, 2023; 21(10): 18448-18483.
28. XIAO N, et al. Effectiveness of animal-assisted activities and therapies for autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2024; 11: 1403527.