Elephant therapy in Thailand
https://www.theautismnews.com/2011/05/12/elephant-therapy-in-thailand/
We’re all familiar with the practice of animal therapy for individuals with a range of disabilities from common household animals like dogs and cats to equine therapy, the newest animal to be include in the mix? Elephants!
An organization in northernThailandrecently introduced a new kind of therapy for their autistic population, elephant therapy, and so far they have found participates responding positively. Elephants, familiar to participants through their cultural importance, provide a range of potential benefits through their interactions with the population being served. Staff running this new-found therapy say tasks included during sessions range from grooming the elephants, shopping for care items such as bananas, sugar cane, etc. for the participating elephants using real funds, playing games, and art-related activities. All of these activities revolve around teaching a variety of specific skills including flexibility, tolerance, creativity, and socialization through group play.
Currently, the program is new and limited to only a few sessions due to funding but hopefully we will see more unique programs being created like these to serve the autistic population!