The Effect of Animal-Assisted Activity Programme Based on Human Caring Theory on Perceived Stress, Social Adaptation and Communication Skills of Children With Speech and Language Disorders

Animal-assisted practice is an intervention method explained with different mechanisms and theories that provides protection and development of health through human-animal interaction. Animal-assisted practices can be applied to children, adults, elderly, healthy or sick individuals of all ages. Children are among the most commonly used groups. Studies conducted with children have indicated that animal-assisted practices facilitate the expression of emotions, improve health perception, increase communication skills, desire to continue school, increase adaptation to treatment, and reduce pain, anxiety and stress levels. Animal-assisted practices are included in the classification of nursing interventions (NIC) and there are sources in the literature that they are used directly as nursing interventions. The use of models in nursing allows the focus to be on the essence and applications of nursing. One of the important theories used in the field of nursing is the Human Caring Theory (HCT) because it reflects the nursing discipline very well. HCT is a theory that reflects the essence of nursing and includes the concepts of love, compassion, self-compassion, respect, trust, human dignity, morality and ethics and can be applied by integrating with various interventions. The theory values the care given to the individual as well as the existence of the caregiving nurse and has been used in different samples in nursing practice and research for many years. As psychiatric nurses, protecting and developing the mental health of children with speech and language disorders, who are among the vulnerable groups, is among our primary goals. In studies conducted with children with speech and language disorders, it has been stated that animal-assisted practices increase social interaction, have a better positive mood, reduce anxiety, have positive changes in the number of smiles, observation skills, and blood flow rate, increase self-confidence and creativity, develop communication