Human-Animal Interaction to Promote Recovery Following Pediatric Brain Injury

Children with acquired brain injuries (ABI) treated on an inpatient rehabilitation unit are at significant risk for long term functional impairment, highlighting the importance of maximizing the effectiveness and utilization of inpatient rehabilitation therapies. The proposed study seeks to explore the value of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) during inpatient rehabilitation following pediatric ABI. Investigators will employ a within subjects cross-over trial; all participants will have a volunteer dog involved in 50% of their physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) sessions over a 2-week study period. AAT will consist of integration of a dog from the hospital volunteer dog program in PT and OT sessions, while the non-AAT condition will be treatment as usual (TAU) as identified by the patients' treatment team. Information regarding patient engagement/participation in therapy, affect, and physiological variables will be collected during each session. Session notes will also be coded for additional qualitative information. Qualitative feedback from patients and families, therapists, medical teams, and dog handlers will also be collected throughout the project to examine feasibility and satisfaction with the intervention as well as potential barriers and areas for improvement. Investigators will 1) examine the effect of AAT on level of patient participation and patient affect during PT and OT sessions, 2) Explore the effect of AAT on functional outcomes using a historic cohort comparison group, and 3) explore the physiological response of patients, and examine a number of variables (injury type/severity, child sex and anthropomorphism, therapist factors, and dog handler factors) to begin to determine which patients are most likely to benefit from AAT during inpatient rehabilitation for ABI.