Impact of Dolphin Assisted Therapy Discussion Response

please respond to laura with 200 words :

I am researching dolphin assisted therapy, which is a program for children with special needs. There is classroom therapy time involved and time in the water with dolphins to reinforce what was learned in the classroom. There is controversial research regarding whether or not dolphin assisted therapy is beneficial for the participants.

Most participants of dolphin assisted therapy have other therapists as well. These may be speech therapists, behavior therapists, occupational therapists, and/or physical therapists. For my project, I would like to survey these therapists to discover if they see changes in their clients after they have participated in a dolphin assisted therapy program.

When families are accepted into a dolphin assisted therapy program, the director could ask if the child has any therapists at home. If the answer is yes, and if they are willing to participate, these therapists would fill out three surveys. One survey would be given before the child participates in the dolphin assisted therapy program in order to create a baseline of the child’s abilities. Another survey would take place after the dolphin assisted therapy program to see if any changes are found. The final survey would be given to the therapist at a later date, possibly 3 months later, in order to see if dolphin assisted therapy had a long term impact on the child. These surveys would be collected and analyzed to determine if dolphin assisted therapy is beneficial, based on the observations of the participants’ other therapists.

I chose to survey these therapists because I do not believe this approach has ever been taken. Therapists are professionals who are trained in their specific areas and are well qualified to analyze specific behaviors and abilities. Therefore, I feel that they are a good choice to determine if their clients are showing any improvements.