Browsing by Subject "eläinavusteinen"

The purpose of this study was to find out the significance of the presence of a dog to the self-regulation skills of a child with special needs and to increase information about dog-assisted activities and the opportunities for dog-assisted activities in early childhood education. Self-regulation skills can be roughly divided into three dimensions: the regulation of feelings, be-havior and cognitions. In this study, I looked at the possibilities of supporting the child's self-regulation skills by the presence of the dog. The dog used in the study was not the actual therapeutic dog, but the dog was utilized as part of the voluntary dog assisted activity. This Bachelor's Thesis is a qualitative case study. The survey data collection was carried out by observing the child for three days and interviewing the kindergarten teacher and the parent of the child. The kindergarten teacher was interviewed with theme interview and the parent's point of view was studied with an open questionnaire. The aim of the observation was to find out the significance of the dog's presence in the child's self-regulation skills and behavior in the group. The analysis of the material was carried out by content analysis. This study shows that the presence of the dog had positive meanings for the child's self-regulation and behaviors in the group. The most important changes in the presence of the dog in the child's behavior and self-discipline were the child's increased contact with other children and adults, diversified play ideas and reduced fury attacks. The number and duration of child's rage had decreased considerably when the dog entered the group. The child was seen to speak more when the dog was at kindergarten and through dog-assisted activities the child had also learned skills in the group, such as negotiation.