We will donate all proceeds from ticket sales to the association from Makarska, Mucrum, whose main goal is to improve the quality of life. The collected funds will facilitate work with children with developmental disabilities along with the first therapy dog!
What is the project "The first therapy dog to help children with developmental disabilities in Makarska"?
The project is an almost two-year process that begins with testing and selecting a puppy in the litter, until the final implementation of the activity, which is preceded by the training of the therapist for work.
The Croatian Association for the Training of Guide Dogs and Mobility will be a partner of the association from Makarska, the Society for Improving the Quality of Life "Mucrum", with which they will train therapist Maida Arslanagić (MA in speech therapy, Floortime and TalkTools practitioner) for professional work with dogs.
What is therapy with dogs?
In this form of work, activities are specifically aimed at improving the effectiveness of therapeutic procedures in children and adults. The handler of a therapy dog is a professional (e.g. psychologist, speech therapist, educational rehabilitator, occupational therapist, etc.) trained to work with a therapy dog. Depending on the therapeutic procedure in which the therapy dog is involved, it acts on different developmental aspects, skills, and needs that the child has. A key role is played by an expert, who plans and directs each activity, and a therapy dog is a tool that increases the motivation of the user, whether it is a child or an adult, and thus has a positive effect on the therapeutic effects.
Educational Processes with therapy dogs
These activities are designed with the aim of stimulating cognitive aspects as part of the educational processes of children and young people, as a catalyst for learning and teaching. The activities must be planned in advance and the implementation documented in order to be able to assess the impact of the therapy dog on the cognitive development of children and young people. Such activities are created and carried out in preschool education institutions. We want to conduct them for free in kindergartens and schools in Makarska and provide children with quality support in their development.
In this way, the dog would be educated and prepared for all the potential activities that it would carry out in working with children and children with developmental difficulties, so it is important to define them in advance.
Thank you for your support!
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