TUEBINGEN, Germany (dpa) – “When a child falls ill, it is not only human comforts which are called for. Pets, such as rabbits, cats, hamsters and birds can also be a useful aspect of any treatment,” said Professor Gunther Klosinski.
The professor heads the Psychiatry and Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents Department at University Clinic in the southern city of Tuebingen.While the parents of many children show love and affection only when they dutifully tidy their rooms or do their homework and chores, pets never make conditions or take exception.“That has a positive effect on a child’s feelings of self-worth,” says the professor.This attitude explains why starting a few years ago, younger patients were allowed to bring their pets to hospital with them. By caring for their pets’ needs, the children assume an important duty which teaches them to act responsibly – toward themselves and the animals.The tale of woe told by nine-year-old Nadine David shows just how quickly a relationship to a four-legged friend can develop.“Four years ago the doctors told us that Nadine would never walk or talk,” said her grandfather Udo Ziegler. Brain damage meant that the child was afflicted by serious speech and mobility impairments.No improvement was noted until two dolphin therapies in the United States brought the long-awaited upturn.Adults and children are swimming in the water together with dolphins.“The animals circle the people nudging them – an uplifting feeling,” says Ziegler. With the support provided by the intelligent sea-mammals, Nadine soon learnt to walk, became calmer and began to piece together her first sentences.David E. Nathanson, director of Dolphin Human Therapy (DHT) in Miami, has used dolphins as part of his therapy courses since 1988. Downs Syndrome girls and boys come to him, and children with bone-marrow damage, but he also treats blind, deaf and autistic children.“The children’s awareness grows when they anticipate a special reward,” says the psychologist. The young invalids also learn to develop trust and realise that they can overcome life’s hurdles.In Germany, therapists in this discipline concentrate mainly on horses. Riding helps children in the process of detaching themselves from their parents and improves social skills, say experts.For many years, Heidi Wallert, the regional representative of the German Curatorium for Therapeutic Equestrianism in Hamburg, and her daughter-in-law Anje Wallert have offered “hippotherapy” and curative paedagogical riding for the disabled.Children and youngsters suffering from paraplegia, neurological handicaps and accident injuries come to her.“The animals’ higher body temperature ensures relaxation, relief from spasms and encourages suppleness of joints,” confirms Gerhard Exner, head of the Centre for Paraplegics at a Hamburg hospital. Unfortunately, despite its effectiveness, the treatment is still not recognised everywhere.Anja Wallert is convinced of the therapeutic effects achieved through contact with horses – particularly for children with speech or behavioural disorders. “Often problems can be traced to negative experience with the parents,” says the equestrian expert. “The horse accepts the children just as they are.”For more information on the Internet about David E. Nathanson’s Therapy Center see: www.dolphinhumantherapy.com.
