Tail of Two Halves

Earlier this year Canine Concern Scotland Trust assisted Stirling University student, Katie Cattanach in her Masters project.  Katie was studying for a Masters of Science in Human Animal Interaction and for her final dissertation chose the following title.

A ‘tail’ of two halves: The effect of tactile stimulation on reading errors in the case of Canine Assisted Reading by Katie Cattanach, BSc (Hons), MSc, MBPsS,

The following is a summary of her study and findings and how they impact on CCST’s “Reading with Dogs” programme.

The study set out to look at the effects of using Therapets to assist children with reading and took into consideration the effects of having contact with the Therapet.  In addition it also looked at the effects of using a stuffed toy as a control and potential substitute for a Therapet in a “Reading with Dogs” programme. 

The study involved 24 primary school pupils aged between 6 and 8 years.  The children were asked to read under 5 different conditions.

To read the whole summary please click on the link Tail of Two Halves

This summary was written by Trustee and Area Representative Lynsey Thomson BSc(Hons) OT