Gifted children are often twice-exceptional. Intellectual prowess sometimes comes with emotional or developmental obstacles. Highly intelligent children can also have problems with reading or speaking, have emotional disorders, be lonely, anxious or depressed.
The treatment for these conditions can be complex and may require the involvement of professionals in many different disciplines.
One of the simplest treatments can also be one of the most effective. A child’s pet that understands his or her affliction, empathizes with the suffering, and lends comfort and support is a valuable pet indeed – and really, is more than just a pet. It is a therapeutic wonder, an often overlooked solution to a serious problem, an answer that’s been there right under our noses.
Dogs to the rescue
Children love pets. They cuddle with cats, wrestle with dogs, whistle with birds. Pets make them relaxed, calm and happy. Pets can help a child with anxiety or depression. They can reduce loneliness. They are easy to relate to and provide unconditional love. They make good companions.
Hospital studies show that pets help children get healthier and recover more quickly from illness. They reduce the stress of hospitalization and isolation. Animals can do much more for children, especially gifted children who may be experiencing the emotional or social disabilities that often accompany giftedness.
Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) is a non-profit organization that provides animals and animal-assisted therapy to help children read and communicate better. The organization, based in Salt Lake City, started a literacy program called R.E.A.D. in 1969. The program is based on the concept of children reading to dogs.
ITA is careful about providing just the right animals for the therapy. The dogs are registered therapy animals, and their owner-handlers volunteer their time to travel with their dogs to schools, libraries and other sites and events throughout the country.
The ITA concept of using therapy animals for reading has now spread beyond the United States. More than 3,000 therapy teams have been created, trained and registered. These teams serve in many countries including the U.S., Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Finland, Sweden, and South Africa. These dogs are good listeners and are helping break the barriers of illiteracy and self-doubt.
Birds of friendly feathers
Dogs are not the only kind of therapy assistants. Parrots and similar species of birds are known to be sensitive to the emotional environment around them. They can sense tension in the air. They can feel the anxiety, stress or anger that their owners are feeling – even before there is an overt demonstration of the feeling.
Gifted Wings Ministry, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, provides rescued birds to serve as therapy providers to those with emotional disabilities. Gifted children often have intense feelings and can be extremely emotional. Gifted Wings has found that interacting with therapy birds can help provide a calming effect.
Birds are being trained to use their sensitivity to help their owners deal with their disabilities. One example is a bi-polar man who carried his African grey parrot with him at all times. When the parrot sensed a rage-like episode was about to occur, it would calm his owner down with soothing sounds and phrases.
Therapy birds are considered “emotional support animals” or “assistance animals” and are protected by law, just as service dogs.
Therapy birds are used to help in many areas and situations, not only with gifted children, who can be emotionally or developmentally challenged, but also in nursing homes or with veterans who have post-traumatic stress syndrome.
Other animals offer comfort
Dr. Leslie Preuss is a licensed clinical child and family psychologist with a one-acre ranch in California. She specializes in the treatment of intellectually-gifted and twice-exceptional children. She also treats children with anxiety disorders, ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome.
Dr. Preuss uses animal therapy for these children that may involve dogs, horses, goats and pigs. She actually got involved with animal therapy after her own pet, a Wheaton Terrier named Harvey, saved her life by detecting a tumor in her throat. These dogs are known to have sensitive noses and known to detect illnesses.
Dr. Preuss continues to use Harvey as a mediator for families in conflict. Members of families who can’t seem to get along and continue to yell at each other act very differently when Harvey is around. They can see that their actions upset him, and they try to avoid aggressive behavior.
The animals on her ranch provide the same calming, therapeutic influence on gifted and exceptional children she treats. There are many more farms and ranches like hers throughout the country that allow children and therapeutic animals to live together.
Service animals have rights, too
There are different classifications of animals that regulate how they are treated by the law. Animals can be pets, service animals, assistance animals, or therapy (emotional support) animals.
The American Disabilities Act (ADA) protects dogs acting as service animals. Therapy animals may also be service animals. They can travel with their owners on buses, trains and planes, and stay with them in hotels or hospitals. They can go in grocery stores. They are exempt from “no pets” restrictions posted in apartments.
In 2011, the ADA redefined service animals to be specially trained dogs that provide personal assistance to a disabled person. Although this excludes birds, there is a different law that does protect birds, Title I.
Title I addresses service animals in the work place. Employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations to allow equal work opportunity. This could include an assistance dog or bird if requested by a worker.
The Fair Housing Act has the same impact for living conditions. If a dweller wanted a service animal to live with him or her, the law would support that request. It would have to be shown that the animal was really providing a service to its owner, rather than being just a pet, and assisting with some disability.
Is a therapy animal right for your child?
Therapy animals are great for some children. But are they right for yours? If your children are not comfortable with a dog or cat or parrot or any other animal, you probably shouldn’t force them into your house. Some children are afraid of animals. Others have pet allergies. But if your twice exceptional child reacts with interest, happiness, joy or excitement when around animals, you may want to look into getting a pet or even consider pet therapy through a registered therapy animal.
