Running Head: AUTISTIC DISORDER 1   AUTISTIC DISORDER 2               Autistic Disorder Student’s name: Ismelis Gonzalez Miami Regional University NUR4100 Research and Evidence Based Practice Professor’s Name: Roberto Carmona July 15, 2021             Introduction Autistic Disorder is also known as autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Subject:NursingPrice: Bought3

Share With

Running Head: AUTISTIC DISORDER 1

 

AUTISTIC DISORDER 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autistic Disorder

Student’s name: Ismelis Gonzalez

Miami Regional University

NUR4100 Research and Evidence Based Practice

Professor’s Name: Roberto Carmona

July 15, 2021

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

Autistic Disorder is also known as autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autistic Disorder is a chronic illness that has various symptoms such as the failure of an individual to coordinate movement and repetitions of words. Additionally, other severe symptoms include lack of imaginative ability, inability to communicate properly, and lack of ability to socialize with other people. Individuals with autism have difficulties interacting with other individuals that are non-autistic (Baio, Wiggins, Christensen, Maenner, Daniels, Warren & Dowling, 2018). Autistic Disorders affects the IQ of an individual with more than seventy percent of autistic individuals considered to be mentally retarded.

The term autism was first discovered by a doctor from Johns Hopkins University, where he was using the term to describe children who had emotionally and socially challenges interacting with their peers. Before the 1960's doctors, researchers and scholars thought that autism and schizophrenia were linked to healthcare disorders. Initially, medical interventions among autistic individuals included the use of electric shocks, LSD, and behavior change techniques such as inducing pain and punishment to change behavior.

Before an individual is diagnosed with Autistic Disorder must have passed all the procedures outlined by the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM-IV). The qualitative impairment under DSM-IV includes delays in functioning, lack of interest in social activities, stereotyped patterns of behaviors, and restricted repetition. My research question in this assignment is, do the applications of animal therapy provide benefits regarding social interactions and learning skills in children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder.

Relationship between animal therapy, research, and the Evidence-Based Practice

Animal therapy is also known as pet therapy can be useful in helping children with Autistic Disorder enhance their social interaction with other people. Research is the most important process in asserting whether animal therapy is beneficial to children suffering from Autistic Disorder children (Townsend & Morgan, 2017). The research on the applicability of animal therapy to enhance the management of autistic children requires the gathering of primary data or analysis of second-hand information from peer-reviewed journal articles.

The research involves the analysis of data from different sources through the provision of tests and proof. The research process is guided by a research question. The primary information is critical because it enables researchers to make comparisons of the findings and conclusions with other scholars from other authors from peer-reviewed articles. Nurses and therapists are using the information from research data to provide care to autistic children. The main relationship between the theory and the evidence-based practice is that nurses can provide care based on the informed decisions from the research.

Therefore, evidence-based practice is where healthcare workers gather informed decisions through clinical practice from the clinician's expertise, patients’ preferences, and values to provide a problem-solving approach and conscientiousness to able patients acquire quality care. Through the research, the healthcare workers will determine how the animal therapy method is applicable in enhancing care among autistic children.

Therefore, the relationship involves the identification of the theory to be research. The research question will direct the researcher on the research question. The research of the theory will require the gathering of information from both primary and secondary data. Verified research will provide evidence information that will enable the therapists and nurses to use the information to provide care to autistic children. Animal therapy is the use of animals such as dolphins, horses, and dogs to rehabilitate and heal individuals who are mentally ill. Various researches indicate that animals provide psychological physiological and physicals health benefits to people who are mentally ill.

Discussion of the research question

Article one

The article written by Smith is a 2018 research on the question, whether animal therapy is effective in enhancing the social life among autistic children. The study designed involved a systematic review of three major randomized control trials (RCTs). The three RCTs had gathered information between 2015 and 2016 and had been written in English. The hypothetical statement was that the application of animal therapy is effective in providing care to autistic children. The sample size was not applicable to research since the author used second-hand information from double blinded RCTs ad a single RCT which were available in PubMed (Smith, 2018). The research also involved a quantitative method of research where the finding was expressed in terms of words. There is no interpretation of graphs to get the insight of the finding and the reader does not require calculating complex mathematics to get the findings of the research.

The research also involved the application of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Curriculum Test, Pedagogical Analysis, and Social responsive Scale to determine whether the animal therapy was effective in enhancing social life among the children living with Autistic Disorder. The result of the research indicated that all three RCTs advocated for the application of animal therapy in enhancing the social life of autistic children. Children who were exposed to animal therapy shown a great improvement in their social life compared to the control group of children.

Article two

This second article was written by multiple authors including Becker, Rogers, and Burrows 2017. The research question is whether animal therapy is effective in improving the social skills of individuals living with autism. The research used a sample size of thirty-one children who are between the ages of eight to fourteen years. Based on the article it was hypothesized that the use of dogs could facilitate the sense of inclusivity, improve social skills by engaging dogs in the social skills training (SST) for autistic children.

The research involved the use of the Responsiveness scale (SRS-2) and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI-2). Based on the CDI-2 report is that students that were exposed to animal therapy under dog interventions experienced a reduction in autism symptoms (Becker, Rogers & Burrows, 2017). The research design involved the collection of first-hand information from analyzing the data of thirty-one children. The article used quantitative research methods where the conclusion and the findings of the research were analyzed through the use of words rather than analysis of graphs and mathematic concepts.

The article concluded that both the CDI-2 and SRS-2 shown social improvement in autistic children when exposed to animal therapy. Based on the analysis of the Social Language Development Test (SLDT) no significant changes were observed. The finding of the article is that therapists and nurses should use animal therapy in teaching communication skills to children suffering from autism.

Goals, health outcome, and implementation strategies

The main goal of the nurses and therapists based on the article is that they should use animal therapy in managing, monitoring, and enhancing care for children living with autism. Nurses should also aim at encouraging people to rare animals such as dogs particularly if they have a member who is autistic in the family. People who carry home care to children suffering from autism should be trained on how to use dogs in enhancing communication skills and socialization among children suffering from autism.

Based on the outcome from the article it is clear that the application of animal therapy is to autistic children improves social interaction and communications skills. Parents should be proactive in keeping dogs and using them to improve the skills of people living with autism. Researchers all over the world use dogs in an intervention known as Dog Assisted Therapy (DAT). Although there are various animals used the animal therapy the most effective animal based on the research is a dog. The application of DAT help individuals suffering from autism improves their self-esteem thus improving social interaction. The main implementation is to use dogs in every setting where there are policies to manage and provide care to autistic children. In hospitals, nurses should make policies that enable the nurse to use dogs in improving the welfare of children living with autism. AT home both the parents and therapist should be trained on how they can use dogs to improve the care delivery to children with autism. Dogs should not be considered for security purposes but also as animals to assist in care management for autistic children.

The credibility of the researchers' findings

Based on the research question; does the therapy provide benefits regarding learning skills and social interactions in children diagnosed with Autistic Disorder? The information in this essay is credible since data was obtained from Google Scholar database (Martín-Martín, Orduna-Malea, Thelwall & López-Cózar, 2018). Google Scholar database stores journal articles after verification of experts in a specific field. Before the information is stored in the database authors must verify the sources of their data. Therefore, information from Google Scholar is credible and reliable for academic purposes. Based on other resources from the internet Google Scholar database is the most recommended by scholars and researchers.