État des lieux et caractérisation des activités assistées par l’animal proposées en France aux enfants présentant des troubles du spectre autistique

Abstract

Assessment and characterisation of animal-assisted interventions proposed to children with autism spectrum disorders in France. Animal assisted interventions (AAI) cause the emergence of a new category of service animals which aim to improve welfare and good health of people. AAI are very successful and are proposed to a variety of audiences including children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). ASD are neurodevelopmental conditions which require early, continuous, global and coordinate interventions needing involvement of an interdisciplinary team. AAI are not a therapy but can be a support for management and treatment of ASD. AAI are common in intervention facilities for children with ASD but there is no data to assess the extent and the practices of AAI. We decided to make an assessment of AAI for children with ASD within intervention facilities in France. A questionnaire was sent to 2645 facilities and 386 responded. 60,1% of surveyed facilities use AAI for children with ASD. A wide range of species, settings, professionals, activities and difficulties have all been able to be defined. Despite their strong motivation and their will to maintain the AAI, facilities encounter many difficulties. It would be appropriate to start providing information and guidance to help facilities in AAI. Involvement of veterinarians or other animal experts is especially missing and would be necessary in order to implement good practices with animals and to ensure animal welfare.