Rita Vaičekauskaitė
Abstract
The situation of family raising child with disability after the Dolphin Assisted Therapy is undetermined. Dolphin Assisted Therapy is provided as complex social psychological support for family holistically. Nevertheless the continuum support with family and child is not developed so far after the Dolphin Assisted Therapy. Families come to the Dolphin Assisted Therapy program in high expectations of receiving miraculous treatment and significant changes [14]. It is natural that expectations transform after receiving Dolphin Assisted Therapy. The critical point must be put on support for family in perception the adequacy of their expectations. Often families come out of conceit with previous experience with specialists. However, they come back after Dolphin Assisted Therapy to the same circle of specialists were health and development issues must be met. It is not so far clear what support provided by specialists should embrace the families and what are the communication peculiarities. Researches evidence changes of children in behaviour after Dolphin Assisted Therapy. Nevertheless the question depending on circumstances and at length positive changes are imprinted remains unanswered. Aim of this article was to analyse social educational needs of family raising child with disability after the Dolphin Assisted Therapy. Quantitative study brought to the light the meaningfulness of Dolphin Assisted Therapy as identifier of social needs. In the contradiction to previous studies, it is essential to mention the change of expectations of family itself in meeting the needs. Dolphin Assisted Therapy sessions helped family to face and identify their needs more precise, moreover families felt empowered and motivated to search a meeting for these newly formulated needs in different supporting contexts.
Keyword(s): dolphin assisted therapy, social educational needs, disability.
DOI: 10.5200/188
Full Text: PDF