Djur och natur som stöd för psykologisk utveckling hos barn och ungdomar med autism: ett nytt och mer fritt sätt att utvecklas genom social interaktion

Research shows that animals can provide emotional and social support to children and adolescents with autism. Few studies though, have investigated the importance of companion animals for these children’s development or the importance of including nature and animals in a more long-term psychological developmental support. The aim of this dissertation is to describe ways in which nature and animals can provide values that facilitate the psychological development of these children and adolescents. The first article is a focus group study aimed at examining the importance of companion animals for children and adolescents with autism from the parents´ perspective. The results showed that companion animals can contribute with support for the group’s social development, but also the development of behaviours and functions and improve mental health and quality of life. Three themes were found: 1. The quality of the relationship with the companion animal. 2. Increased interaction with people. 3. Optimizing the children´s functions and development. The children and adolescents' interests and activities with the companion animals were more social than non-social and of a different quality than the limited and repetitive behaviours in which children with autism are usually engaged. The second article is a discussion with the aim of looking for a theoretical model that deepens the understanding of the mechanisms that may be behind the positive effects of involving nature and animals in a developmentally supportive long-term treatment. The method in the article is grounded theory. Data comes from a treatment model (one and a half year, a total of nine children), from environmental psychology and from developmental psychology, both typical and atypical as in autism. The result consists of three key categories: 1. Reduce stress and instill calm. 2. Arouse curiosity and interest. 3. Attract spontaneous attention. These three key categories are related to an underlying core variable, vitality forms, which was described by Daniel Stern and, according to him, is important in forming global experiences. Here, it is argued that the forms of vitality from nature and animals can be particularly beneficial for achieving good moments of interaction between the child and therapists that promote psychological development. The starting point is the brain's way of encoding many internal and external events, based on movement perception. The result of the dissertation shows that nature and animals can be good conditions for children and adolescents with autism to be able to make sense of their experiences in naturally occurring situations and moments. Such moments have also been shown to include socially engaged interaction and communication with other people where support for the child can be provided directly when something happens Future research may reveal whether this type of indepth and clear experiences in connection with nature and animals can form a new and Animals and nature in support of psychological development in children and adolescents with autism. A new and more free way of development through social interaction Abstract complementary treatment path for children with autism which could optimize the conditions for psychological development through social interaction. If so, the possibility of improving mental health and quality of life is also seen.