How can you help someone better take their communication partner’s reactions into account?
People living with Autism Spectrum Disorder present very diverse profiles and needs. Some may experience challenges related to communication, social interactions, understanding others’ behaviors, or adapting their own behaviors according to the context.
Intervention goals are therefore always personalized. This might involve, for example, initiating an interaction, maintaining an exchange, waiting for a turn, collaborating, asking for help, or even learning to observe the other person’s reactions in order to adjust one’s communication.
As with any intervention, an essential question arises:
Will integrating an animal bring real added value to the pursued goal?
Why integrate an animal?
The animal offers a living, authentic communication partner that is consistent in its reactions.
It doesn’t respond to the person’s expectations simply because a command is given. Instead, it reacts to what it perceives: posture, distance, rhythm, gestures, emotions, or even the timing chosen to enter into interaction.
This particularity allows for concrete experiences where the person progressively discovers that the quality of an interaction depends as much on their ability to observe the other as on their intention to communicate.
For these experiences to be positive, the choice of the partner animal is essential.
At Synergie Plumes et Poils, we prioritize an animal that is motivated to participate in interactions. An engaged partner, who wants to interact despite the unexpected, allows for the creation of rich situations while respecting its well-being.
A concrete example
Take the example of a young person who wants to develop their social skills, specifically their ability to take their communication partner’s reactions into account.
Before building the activities, the practitioner observes the interactions that seem most engaging for them.
Do they prefer guiding the dog through a course? Playing fetch? Hiding treats for it? Having it participate in a small challenge?
These observations help identify the interactions that naturally spark their interest and engagement.
The practitioner then builds activities where the goal is not to control the dog, but to learn to observe it.
For example, before throwing a toy, the young person is invited to see if the dog is ready to play.
When they suggest the dog follow them, they observe if the dog understands the request or if another strategy would be more effective.
If the dog slows down, looks away, or chooses another behavior, the practitioner guides the young person through their observation.
What do you notice?
What do you think it is trying to tell you?
What could you try differently?
Progressively, the young person discovers that communicating isn’t just about sending a message. It’s also about observing the other’s reactions and adjusting your behavior accordingly.
Transfer to daily life
The lessons learned with the animal then become a starting point for reflecting on human interactions.
The practitioner can help the young person make connections with their daily life.
How do you know that a friend wants to keep playing?
How can you tell if someone is busy or if they would like to join the conversation?
What can you observe in the other person to adapt the way you communicate?
Interactions with the animal thus become a concrete laboratory where the person experiments with strategies that they can gradually transfer to their relationships with others.
Professional practice relies on quality training
Human-animal interactions offer tremendous potential, but they require much more than just the presence of an animal.
Professional practice requires understanding the person’s needs, determining if the animal represents real added value, selecting a partner animal whose characteristics match the pursued goals, and building meaningful interactions.
It also requires recognizing the animal’s needs, preserving its well-being, and ensuring the safety of all involved.
Being a professional also means recognizing the limits of your field of practice. The practitioner must be able to identify situations that require the expertise of another professional and work in complementarity with them when the person’s needs require it.
At Synergie Plumes et Poils, we believe that responsible practice is based on a rigorous methodology, respect for animal welfare, interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as the selection and certification of partner animals in order to offer ethical, safe interventions adapted to each person’s needs.