Human-animal interactions: starting with pets of children with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Human-Animal Interaction and Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) are those which include an animal for therapy. AAI is used to promote developmental outcomes in children with CP. Here, as a start to understanding the accessibility to pets and aspects of human animal-interactions for children with CP we: (1) describe the number and type of pets; and (2) examine the relationship between the presence of pets, environmental factors, and parent-reported measures. METHODS: 100 children with CP (range 2–8 years) were part of a randomized controlled trial. Data from baseline assessments, before any intervention, were used to describe the prevalence of pets; and associations with presence of pets, environmental descriptive, and parent-reported outcome measures were examined. RESULTS: 59% of the children had a pet with dogs being most common (76.3%). Children who lived in homes (X2= 10.94) were more likely to have pets compared to those who lived in apartments. CONCLUSIONS: Pets are common for children with CP. For families of children with CP, it is unknown if there are any disability-related limits to having a pet (e.g. sensory issues, motor limitations, cognitive challenges). Future research could include developing interventions that incorporate pets and assessing the benefits of AAI in children without pets. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClincalTrials.gov ID (NCT02897024), Registered September 7, 2016.