ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2019
Vitality from Experiences in Nature and Contact with Animals-A Way to Develop Joint Attention and Social Engagement in Children with Autism?
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) for Children with ASD Across Countries: A Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Drop-out rates in animal-assisted psychotherapy - Results of a quantitative meta-analysis.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Inquiry and innovation: Considering curiosity and creativity in autism.Acta psychologica · 2026Review
- Re-imagining connection: the role of late autism diagnosis in eating disorder recovery and social support.Journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Perceived space characteristics fostering friendship with place, peers, and nature in the preschool yard.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Review
- Animal-Assisted Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature from 2016 to 2020.Review journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2023Article
- What is the impact of nature on human health? A scoping review of the literature.Journal of global health · 2022Article
- COMSIInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- A glimpse into social perception in light of vitality forms.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Review
- The Oxytocinergic System as a Mediator of Anti-stress and Instorative Effects Induced by Nature: The Calm and Connection Theory.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Equine-Assisted Intervention to Improve Perceived Value of Everyday Occupations and Quality of Life in People with Lifelong Neurological Disorders: A Prospective Controlled Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Improved Wellbeing for Both Caretakers and Users from A Zoo-Related Nature Based Intervention-A Study at Nordens Ark Zoo, Sweden.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Animals are increasingly included in treatment for children with autism, and research has shown positive effects, such as increased social initiatives, decreased typical autistic behaviors, and decreased stress. However, there are still knowledge gaps, for example, on underlying mechanisms and effects from longer treatment duration. The purpose of this study is to contribute to these gaps and ask questions about the ways in which animals and nature can improve conditions for psychological development through support from therapists. The method is based on grounded theory. Data comes from a treatment model (duration 1½ years, a total of nine children), from environmental psychology and developmental psychology, both typical and atypical as in autism. The results consist of three key categories; reduce stress and instill calm, arouse curiosity and interest, and attract attention spontaneously. 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 overall experiences. The starting point is the brain's way of encoding many internal and external events based on movement perception. Here it is argued that the vitality forms from nature and animals are particularly favorable for effecting development-promoting interactions with a therapist.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.