Claudia Villalobos
The Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias de la Salud, Santo Tomás Unit (CICS-UST), of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), recently revamped its team of collaborators in the psychology department by incorporating a new member, Nina, a nine-year-old mixed-breed dog. Nina will contribute to enhancing the biopsychosocial well-being and improving cognitive functions in children with learning difficulties.
Dr. Haydee Cerón Barajas, a professor at CICS-UST, leads the project derived from the "Give a Paw" program, belonging to the Spanish association Center for Assisted Therapies with Canines (CTAC). She has been certified as a specialist in canine-assisted psychological intervention, enabling her to train animals and strengthen therapeutic outcomes.
"Scientifically, it has been proven that canine therapy is a valuable tool for improving cognitive functions, emotional aspects, and social relationships. Therefore, with the support of the authorities at CICS-UST, we aim to establish it permanently as a program integrating canine-assisted interventions at the Politécnico," stated the specialist.
To maximize benefits and achieve greater social impact, the therapeutic approach will be extended to users of the psychology, dentistry, and optometry clinics, as well as the student and teaching community of that academic unit.
Scientifically, it has been proven that living with a companion animal allows the regulation of people's heart rate, reducing anxiety and stress levels.
First patient at IPN
Nina has extensive experience as a therapy dog, working in various hospitals with children suffering from cancer and cerebral palsy, as well as participating in the rehabilitation of youth with addictions. Additionally, she was involved in relaxation activities with doctors and nurses working long hours at a health sector facility during the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. "Intervention therapy with dogs is very beneficial for children because they show special affection for the animals. For example, for children with autism, it helps them a lot in emotional control and irritating behaviors".
Nina's first patient at CICS-UST is an eight-year-old diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Before interacting with the animal, the child received some sessions aimed at improving academic performance. Canine therapy involves specific exercises with the dog focused on cognitive rehabilitation, stimulation of attention, and memory.
Other activities will focus on different levels of divided focused attention (the ability to maintain attention on two or more tasks simultaneously).
As part of the therapy with the animal, the patient handles a small robot, which navigates through different paths with increasingly difficult shapes, carrying the dog's food (a kibble). At the end of each path, the therapist and the dog are placed, so the child must concentrate on the proper handling of the device to achieve the goal of feeding the canine.
"All cognitive rehabilitation activities involve attention, memory, and sensory stimulation through instruments, where the dog is part of the child's team. Achieving the goal motivates both to perform the activity," mentioned Professor Haydee Cerón.
Activities with the dog allow children to strengthen socialization, teamwork, and carry out their school activities without distractions.
Canine psychological intervention addresses difficulties ranging from mathematics and language problems to attention deficit, hyperactivity, and autism situations.
"The human-animal bond fosters in children trust, self-esteem, and greater security than when only offered intervention with a psychologist, as with the dog, they feel supported and more immersed in the activity. Another important aspect is that when, for some reason, the dog makes a mistake, the child understands that it is valid to make mistakes in everyday life and not experience frustration when objectives are not immediately achieved," explained the CICS-UST expert.
Unlike training for guarding and protection, which is based on discipline, self-control, and attack in case of a violent situation, the training of therapy dogs is based on positive reinforcement. This is done through a clicker (a device that makes noise each time a kibble is given) that the dog identifies and reinforces its actions, in addition to caresses, which are essential to promote docility and empathy.
Age, size, and breed do not matter to train a dog for therapeutic intervention. The only requirement is that it has a calm and docile character, detects human emotions, is interested in socializing, and participates with humans. Nina's training lasted for a year, and after that time, she was examined according to specific statutes that mark the standards and obtained her certification. To ensure proper interaction with patients, Professor Cerón Barajas reinforces her activities daily.
Karla María San Juan Acosta is enrolled in the seventh semester of the psychology degree and has a special interest in the educational area. During the pandemic, her love for animals led her to self-study some aspects of canine behavior. With the support of some videos, she began training some street dogs and her cat.
She currently supports Professor Haydee Cerón in Nina's training, and later she would like to focus her thesis work on some aspect of psychological care assisted with dogs.
Diana Rocha Cruz and Jorge Espinosa Pineda, students of the Master's in Psychological Intervention, have become involved in the project through the subject of Programs for Intervention with Children and Adolescents taught by Professor Cerón.
They are currently working with the first patient at CICS treated through canine therapy. Initially, they applied traditional techniques with good results, but the addition of Nina to the therapy has been a reinforcement to improve attention. The results obtained so far have allowed them to change their perspective on the patient's evolution, as well as to have expectations that, in addition to contributing to improving academic performance, will impact other areas of their daily life. It is even intended to achieve that assisted therapy results in a better quality of life for the child without resorting to medication.
Professor Haydee Cerón believes that to extend the benefits of assisted therapy with dogs, it is necessary to incorporate other canines into the project, in addition to Nina. Mechanisms will be sought for students interested in this type of therapy to commit to facilitating their pets to participate in training, as well as to provide facilities for them to support interventions when required.
"We will also seek to expand the number of trainers so that over time the project will consolidate, and we can, initially, give a paw to children with learning difficulties and provide biopsychosocial support to the population through this wonderful therapy," concluded the expert in canine therapy.
Canine therapy is a valuable tool for improving cognitive functions, emotional aspects, and social relationships.
Selección Gaceta Politécnica #168. (November 30th, 2023). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here
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