ANIMAL THERAPY FOR AUTISM

Jitin with his labrador Casper
Till a few months ago, a smile from Jitin was a rare moment. Afflicted with Down's Syndrome and Autism, this ten-year-old found it difficult to verbalise, emote and show any physical affection at all. But that was till Casper came into his life. After just fifteen sessions of pet therapy with the Labrador, Jitin is slowly coming out of his shell. "He began talking loudly to the dog, making noises just to get the dogs attention. He would even laugh loudly," says Rohini Fernandes. "Besides this we also found that his rigidity had decreased - he started to become more relaxed with us as well as his classmates, teachers and parents. He even started initiating games with his other classmates," she adds. Creature comfort

Patients at the St John's Academy at a visit to the animal menagerie
But pet therapy is not just about cats and dogs. At the St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore, there is a whole menagerie of animals, from deer to ducks, which is part of the programme to help accident trauma and psychiatric patients heal faster. For twenty two-year-old Shyam afflicted with Guillain-Barre Syndrome and confined to a wheel chair, spending time with these animals has helped come out of depression. "I feel nice and refreshed when I come here. They keep deer, ducks, peacocks, rabbits and other animals," he says. Compared to more conventional forms of speech or behavioural therapy, studies show that pet therapy significantly reduces blood pressure, stress and depression. "For a child, when you walk into a therapy session you are an authority figure. But when you walk in with a dog, then you automatically become a fun person as you play with the dog, hug and kiss him. Then the child opens up to you much more quickly and the treatment also takes much less time," explains Shilpa, an animal therapist who works with Rohini. The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent years for its success with a wide variety of patients - people with AIDS or cancer, the elderly, and the mentally ill. Medical experts say it is the feel-good chemicals - endorphins released when in the company of a pet that helps the healing begin. And anyone who has ever had a pet will know exactly what they are talking about! (By Gargi Shastri and Beverly White)