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Published on February 23, 2008

But the root causes of autism and effective treatment for it have remained elusive.

There has been a growing awareness, however, that the calming influence of animals works well as a therapy, especially for children. With this in mind, Associate Professor Soisuda Vittayakorn and Assistant Professor Nuntanee Satiansukpong led a team of occupational therapists from Chiang Mai University to the Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang.

In a meeting with elephant experts, a pilot programme for a project involving pachyderms to assist autistic children was approved.

Among the many symptoms of autism, isolation, intolerance and rejection of physical contact are most apparent, and the theory is that by encouraging autistic children to extend their feelings and care for elephants, these tendencies might be reversed.

The initial goal of the pilot programme was to create contact between the children and elephants and then introduce a variety of activities step by step. First of all, the kids were shown how the elephants live and what they like to eat and do. Once that was understood, the children could fetch their own elephant from its living quarters and feed and bathe it.

Then, they got to ride the animals and learn to communicate with them through commands and body language. Team games were also arranged in order to build a bonding environment.

All these events were packed into a one-day session that ended with a relaxation process for the kids comprising aromatherapy, soft music, deep breathing and release of muscle tension. 

Balm for the autistic

Four autistic children were selected for the pilot programme, and they travelled to Lampang four days a week for three weeks. The results proved to be miraculous.

Kaew, a 17-year-old boy with sensory processing disorder, suffered tactile defensiveness and intolerance towards dirt. His balance was so bad he could stand on one leg for only a few seconds; he had no attention span and was unresponsive when spoken to. Nevertheless, his family loved and cared for him.

After working with the elephants, Kaew began greeting people and asking questions, and he fell into his father's arms and hugged him for the first time in his life.

Eleven-year-old Doung lacked emotional control and would isolate himself from others. He was a bad loser, had trouble relating to reality, and cared little for other people.

Elephant therapy enabled Doung to improve his ability to relate to the people around him. He participated more in school activities and learned to accept losing.

Hyperactive, easily distracted and possessing a very short attention span, 12-year-old Ouan avoided people and tended to wander off on his own. He also lacked the ability to use self-initiative and had trouble balancing.

However, the three-week elephant programme helped Ouan to develop coordination of body and thought. His balance and attention span improved and he stopped wandering about.

Prior to the elephant course, 14-year-old Somchai was clumsy. He disliked tactile behaviour, couldn't tolerate wet or dirty clothing, and had difficulty in coordinating his movements. Today, Somchai has improved in all those areas. 

Teamwork and tuskers

The kindly nature of elephants has teamed up well with the techniques of occupational therapy to enable these miraculous results. "Autistic children's behaviour cannot improve by merely introducing them to elephants," explains Nuntanee. "It is necessary to combine the relationship between elephant and child with the knowledge and techniques of occupational therapy."

Nuntanee goes on to say that parents of autistic children must also team up and learn to adapt when their kids start doing things for themselves. "They should allow their children to use their own initiative and provide useful activities at home. Changes in environment help as well," says Nuntanee.

In the meantime, the current plight of the elephants should be taken into account. These wonderful animals are now officially an endangered species, with populations of Asian elephants dropping by almost 97 per cent over the last 100 years.

In Thailand today, the Department of Local Administration, Ministry of Interior, reports just over 2,000 elephants in captivity, and while the number of wild ones is unknown, it's thought to be only around 1,000.

A major reason for the elephant's demise is their redundancy as useful tools of work. Automation has deprived them of a productive life and left them having to beg and entertain for a living.

 "I hope that the elephant project not only helps autistic kids, but also the elephants," says Wittaya Khem-nguad, owner of Khem Communications, which is co-funding this initiative with the Siam Cement Foundation.

Wittaya continues, "Perhaps we can reduce the number of elephants begging in the city streets at nights if they can be established as a major part of animal therapy."

Only good can come from this teamwork. For more details, contact Nuntanee Satiansukpong at nuntanee@chiangmai.ac.th.