Animals in Our Lives: Human-Animal Interaction in Family, Community, and Therapeutic Settings

What do we know about the benefits of human-animal interaction (HAI)— and what future research needs to be done to ensure high-quality, evidence-based practices? Find out in this book, a resource that presents the latest research on the positive effects of animal therapies and interactions on child health and development.

Gathering contributions from the leading experts in the HAI field, this state-of-the-art research volume is essential for anyone interested in the impact animals have on child development, whether through interaction with pets or through more formal interventions like therapeutic horseback riding or assistance dogs. Program administrators, researchers, and practitioners will explore the current evidence on

• how children with disabilities— including autism— can benefit from animal therapies
• how animals can strengthen empathy, trust, relationships, and other hallmarks of social competence
• why animal-assisted intervention is valuable for children with mental health issues and physical illnesses
• how animals in classrooms can motivate children to learn and enhance a wide range of developmental skills
• which key factors help ensure ethical HAI practices
• how to reduce risks associated with child– animal interactions, including allergies, bites, and viruses
• why pet ownership can benefit both a child and the whole family

To help them shape the future of the emerging HAI field, readers will examine the fundamental principles of evidence-based practice, learn how to meet the challenges of designing and sustaining HAI research, and get a framework to use as a starting point for new research studies.

Whether used as a text or as a reference for researchers and decision makers (or as a source of information for pet owners and parents), this book will help readers take the first important steps toward ethical, evidence-based HAI practices that really improve child outcomes.

Peggy McCardle, Ph.D. , M.P.H., Owner, Peggy McCardle Consulting, LLC

Peggy McCardle is a private consultant and an affiliated research scientist at Haskins Laboratories. She is the former chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) , U.S. National Institutes of Health, where she also directed the Language, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy Research Program and developed various literacy initiatives. Dr. McCardle is a linguist, a former speech-language pathologist, and, in her remote past, a classroom teacher. Her publications address various aspects of public health and developmental psycholinguistics. The recipient of various awards for her work in federal government, including a 2013 NICHD Mentor Award, she also was selected in 2013 to receive the Einstein Award from The Dyslexia Foundation. Her publications address various aspects of public health and developmental psycholinguistics (e.g. , language development, bilingualism, reading, learning disabilities) . Dr. McCardle has taught scientific and technical writing and has extensive experience developing and coediting volumes and thematic journal issues.

Sandra McCune, Ph.D., WALTHAM Program Manager, Human–Animal Interaction Research, WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, Freeby Lane, Waltham-on-the Wolds, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 4RT, United Kingdom. Dr. McCune heads up the WALTHAM research program on Human–Animal Interaction at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. She manages a large global portfolio of research projects across many aspects of human–animal interaction.

James A. Griffin, Ph.D., Deputy Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Director, Early Learning and School Readiness Program, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. Griffin holds a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude in psychology from the University of Cincinnati and a doctoral degree with honors in child clinical psychology from the University of Rochester. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Griffin's career has focused on research and evaluation efforts related to service systems and early intervention programs designed to enhance the development and school readiness of children from at-risk and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Layla Esposito, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. Esposito holds a doctoral degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a child psychologist and is currently a project officer at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. In this role, she oversees a portfolio of grants in human–animal interaction (HAI). Her other research interests include socioemotional development and childhood obesity.

Lisa S. Freund, Ph.D., Associate Branch Chief for Neurobiological Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, 6100 Executive Boulevard, Suite 4B05, Rockville, MD 20852-7510. Dr. Freund is a developmental neuropsychologist who is known for her neuroimaging studies with children from different clinical populations and was a Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)-supported scientist for several years. She came to the NICHD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she was Associate Professor of Psychiatry. Within the Child Development and Behavior Branch at the NICHD, Dr. Freund is responsible for a multifaceted research and training program to promote investigations, both basic and applied, to gain a deeper understanding of the linkages among genes, the developing brain, and behavior. Dr. Freund is an avid equestrian and has been involved with equine-assisted therapy in her private practice.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1171. Temple Grandin is Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She is also a person with autism. She is the author of Thinking in Pictures, Animals in Translation, and Animals Make Us Human.