Dolphins as cotherapists for inducing contact with children who have elements of autistic behavior
海豚因善与有自闭行为特征儿童交往而成为有效的协同治疗专家
Brain & Consciousness, Proc. ECPD Symposium, pp. 137-139
Lj. Raki , G. Kostopoulos, D. Rakovi , and Dj. Koruga, eds.
Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 22-23 September 1997
Marija Momirov
Milentija Popovi a 52, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Abstract: Dolphins’ abilities to follow autistic children communication system make them ideal companion therapists which was affirmed by Dolphin Program in Budva 1992 with seventeen autistic children.
Seven years ago I learned about Dr. Betsy Smith and her pioneering pilot project in which dolphins facilitated therapy with autistic children and that was an idea I had had for a long period of time. Her conclusion was that the dolphins are extremely helpful in stimulating spontaneous behavior in an autistic person. During my visit to Dolphin Plus Center (Key Largo, Florida) where the project was conducted, I got a lot of advice and support from Professor Smith which was of great value for my work with dolphins.
●Dolphins are sensitive to the needs of human beings with problems of a physical or psychological nature;
●Their rounded morphology, the line of their jaw associated with a smile, their smooth, warm skin, highly controlled and easy movements, tender touch, and special sounds which they produce make them ideal companion therapists;
●Their high intelligence is the key to their wide spontaneous play repertoire; and
●They initiate playful contact and produce a state of joy which is important for two reasons:
◆The joy produces an endorphinergic state in which the level on endorphins increases and enables healing processes; and
◆The endorphinergic state is the strongest motivation power which can produce change.
All of these four aspects lead to our general hypothesis: Dolphins have a positive influence on the appearance and development of communications skills in autistic children who have been in direct contact with them.
The Dolphin Program has been introduced into a more comprehensive project: research in communication with children who have elements of autistic behavior (1991-1992, Belgrade).
We investigated our hypothesis in Budva (Montenegro, Adriatic Coast) from June 31 – July 14, 1992. This part of the project included 17 children, 35 members of their families and a team of professionals: two psychologists, a neurologist, a speech therapist and a pediatrician. Seven dolphins were in contact with all the members of the group in the dolphinarium Dolphins’ World, owned by the Ilic family. The dolphins swam in the Olympic-size swimming pool which was part of the sea just fenced with wire. Two dolphin trainers collaborated with the group whenever they were needed. The whole program was recorded on video. All members of the project had brief
preparation in Belgrade (swimming lessons and basic information about dolphins).
The very important factor was that parents and professionals completed a one-year educational program about communication and autism which reinforced the effects of the Dolphin Program.
l ●Developing observation abilities, and how to control our expectations of the child, observing without the influence of expectation. This helps the observation become more precise;
●How to give support to the child, at what moment and in which way;
●How to be aware of our own rhythm;
●How to be in tune with the child and to develop a common rhythm with the child.
●How to encode the specific autistic mode of communication, to translate the “autistic language”;
●How to see the child’s joy and contentment as the main criterion of change. Joy in communication doesn’t exist in the value system of our culture and that is why it is so often neglected in therapeutic work, but joy is the main engine for producing change;
●How to focus attention on minimal changes and to value them, reinforce attention to minimal changes builds the foundation for the appearance of a big change;
l ●How to make goals which follow the principle of minimal changes, and how to make them clear, simple and concrete;
●How to see the world from the children’s points of view, by the exercises of guided fantasizes; and
●How to make positive self-evaluations which is a condition sine qua non for the positive evaluation of the child.
We worked very intensely about 12 hours per day. Twice a day we had a swimming program with the dolphins, twice a day a meeting in small groups, a large whole group meeting, analyzing the video shots, and twice a day a professionals’ team meeting. This intense work and strong group cohesion helped us to maintain the high consciousness level during the two weeks.
The children were not forced to make any step forward. They followed their own rhythm in moving along the continuum from the edge of the swimming pool, stepping on the platform and observing the dolphins from there, touching them sitting on the edge of the platform with their feet in the water, swimming in the water, to finally touch the dolphins in the water. The time the children spent in the water varied, they stayed in the water as long as they needed (usually from ten minutes up to half an hour).
The dolphins usually organized themselves as a group, and they communicated with children, either the whole group at once, or they took turns one by one. Among the dolphins there were five females, and two males. The older male kept the territory around the big platform, and the younger one the territory around the smaller platform. They would swim in front of humans to prevent them from leaving their territory. They showed possessive behavior, and they treated the swimmers as their possessions.
There are specific rules for communication with autistic children and our experience in Dolphin Program assured us that dolphins can follow all of them perfectly.
我们有特别的规则用于与自闭儿童的交流，并且我们在海豚训练方面的经验保证海豚能够完全服从它们。
(1) For the beginning contact with autistic child, we should start with whatever the child offers us,
and it is usually stereotypical behavior. Dolphins follow this rule spontaneously.
When a boy who had a big fear of water was standing of the edge of the swimming pool and rocking, the dolphins, usually two or tree of them, used to jump in front of him in the same rhythm as his rocking. After consolidating the intoning with the boy, the dolphins would change their rhythm and the boy would stop rocking and his full attention was directed to them. After a few days the boy started to go into the water, swam with them and touched them.
(2) Following the rhythm which the child produces is the base for contact.
A little girl, who didn’t even want to look at the water, produced very strong screams from time to time. The dolphins splashed near her whenever she screamed. She started to focus her attention on them and to watch them directly.
Whenever the dolphins approach the communication zone, which is around a two-meters radius, they start to imitate the swimming pattern of the swimmer, which is their non aggressive way of saying: “Hi, I am here, I want contact with you”.
(3) The model for helping the child to develop new forms of behavior is to slowly add new elements and leave out old elements of the basic stereotypical pattern.
In our group there was a boy who, when he entered the water, immediately started to turn around himself. The dolphin would follow his pattern of movement, and then gently change the pattern into a left - right movement. The boy first stopped, then followed the dolphin’ s movements with his eyes, head and hands, and at the end with his whole body. The dolphin succeeded in entering the boy’s stereotypical pattern and changing it without terrifying him (for an autistic child, being left without stereotypical behavior is being left with out security).
(4) The balance between new and old elements should be kept very carefully. If old elements are kept too long, the child will shut off its contact because of boredom. Also, the child will discontinue contact if it is introduced to a large number of new elements which are freighting for it.
One boy used to go up and down of the swimming pool steps, and when his feet reached the water, the dolphin touched him. After some time the dolphin started to jump and to touch the boy’s legs and back gently, like encouraging him to go deeper into the water. Whenever the dolphin touched higher points on the boy’s body first the dolphin would wait for the boy’s signal that everything was O.K. (the boy would turn around and look at the dolphin). Only after that signal would the dolphin continue the play.
(5) The balance between a pause and an action is also very important for autistic children. Usually the pause they need is longer because their reactive time is prolonged.
Dolphins never remain in contact too long. They would move out of the two-meter radius, and turn back after a certain amount of time. For each child that period of pause was different.
(6) Anything that a child offers in a situation is good enough to start a play, if we are focused on what the child does and can do.
One of girls in the group couldn’t use her legs. She was sitting on the platform in her mother’s lap or in the professional’s lap. One particular female dolphin would come and gently mouth her legs. The girl obviously was delighted with the contact. Ten days later, we were organizing floating for the girl in the swimming pool, and she started to move her legs very slowly. Whenever she was in the water the female dolphin would approach, mouth her legs, and start to introduce new elements of contact (for example: swimming under the girl’s hand and stimulating her to use her hands and to touch the dolphin).
(7) With autistic children there exists a stronger need to follow the play steps precisely (which dolphins do spontaneously among themselves as well).
Intoning, going into common rhythm, which is the dolphins’ spontaneous reaction when they are within the two meter radius:
●Developing the game, which dolphins do by introducing new elements and new rhythm.
●Precisely define the point up to which the game is developing. Dolphins clearly signal the culmination of the game by jumping, diving, and turning sharply or by producing sounds.
●Finishing the game cycles, dolphins swim away within a diameter of 20 meters, then come back slowly into the communication zone, but do not approach the child too closely.
●Clearly define the end of the game. Dolphins go away out of the communication zone.
After the end of the game new cycles could be started.
在游戏结束后，新的循环可以重新开始。
By repeating those steps precisely, dolphins provide the children with the game through which they can learn the basic elements of communication (intoning, taking turns, communication timing, dialogue pattern…).
The dolphins are very patient, they do not give up easily, they stay and try to initiate contact for an amazing amount of time, and by doing that, they help the children overcome the motivational conflict between curiosity and fear of the unknown.
Change was defined as a difference in position on the scale of contact before and after the Dolphin Program. Using this scale, every one of the adults marked every child, and we took those results where intersubjective agreement occurred.
The changes which were registered were as follows:
●The facial expresion was more contented and relaxed;
●More vocalisation;
●More prolonged eye contact;
●Positive response to touch contact;
●More initiating contact;
●More interest in children of the same age;
●Less hyperactivity;
●Less stereotypical behavior;
●Wider repertoire of spontaneous expression;
●More aim-focused activities;
●Increase in the ability to imitate;
●More contact with dialogue pattern; and
●More smiling and laughter.
被记录在案的变化如下：
●面部表情更加满足和放松;
●更多发声；
●更长的眼睛接触；
●对触摸接触的积极响应；
●更多的初始接触；
●对同龄儿童更多的兴趣；
●减少的过度兴奋举止；
●减少的刻板行为；
●更广泛的自然声调技能；
●更多有目的行为；
●增加的模仿能力；
●更多的对话式联络；
●更多的微笑和开怀大笑。
Four years later, according to parents and professionals’ assessment, a significant amount of change is still visible.
四年后，根据他们父母和专家的评估，大量的变化仍然可见。
During the Dolphin Program parents and professionals experienced a different state of consciousness. Their attention covered a much wider radius, and their observation was much more precise. They were able to register everything without being focused on anything. They showed high concentration without tiredness. They were relaxed simultaneously with vigilance, speed and high coordination. They also experienced the possibility of interspecies communication. They saw that communication between different worlds is possible if there exists willingness to step out of their own system and willingness to renounce the expectation: “Everybody has to be the same as I am.” The ability to communicate is the ability to accept and understand the difference.
The continuation of the Dolphin Program was planned to include measurement with underwater equipment. The idea of collaboration with Dr. Betsy Smith, (Florida International University), Teach Center (University of North Carolina) and with Professor Marijke Rutten Saris (Academia For Creative Therapy, Nijmegen, Holland) was interrupted up to now because of the politicial and economic situation.
Positive experiences in the Dolphin Program were significant encouragement to start a program with horses. There is warrantable supposition that those two programs united together would give us great therapeutic effects.