THE PROMISE OF DOLPHIN-ASSISTED THERAPY.

Is it therapy or merely therapeutic? Whatever the answer, dolphins and people with disabilities appear to work and play well together in the water.

Deena Hoagland understands the impact a dolphin can have on a human life. Her son, Joe, was left partially paralyzed and visually impaired after having a stroke at the age of three during open-heart surgery. Doctors urged Deena to place Joe in a full-time rehabilitation center, but she believed she could do more for him on her own. Moving from Denver, Colorado, to Key Largo, Florida, Deena learned about Dolphins Plus, a nearby research center specializing in dolphin communication. Wanting to get Joe into the water, and intrigued by the prospect of exposing him to dolphins, Deena secured permission from Dolphins Plus owner, Lloyd Borguss, to bring Joe to the center.

It was at Dolphins Plus that Joe first encountered Fonzie, an Atlantic-bottlenosed dolphin. Meeting Fonzie prompted Joe to smile and laugh for the first time since his stroke. Before long, Joe was not only walking, he was bringing Fonzie buckets of fish. After 22 months of interacting with the dolphin, and participating in swim therapy and physical therapy, Joe was close to a full recovery. Now, 11 years later, Joe and Fonzie remain the best of friends.

What Is It About Dolphins?

Dolphins measure 8 to 10 feet in length, weigh an average of 400 pounds, swim up to 35 miles per hour, and have as many as 26 teeth in each side of their jaws. While their size and stature is surely imposing, there is something about them that people find comforting. Dolphins are gentle in demeanor, graceful in the water, and appear friendly and communicative.

Dolphins are members of the Delphinidae family, comprised of highly intelligent aquatic animals. They are considered mammals rather than fish because they breathe using lungs instead of gills, and they give birth rather than laying eggs. To enable them to swim at breakneck speed, dolphins have evolved slender, streamlined bodies. And to minimize friction while racing through the water, they are hairless and have rubbery skin.

Dolphins frequently rely on echolocation to navigate, locate food, and communicate with other dolphins. Echolocation is a technique that dolphins use to produce sounds, often described as clicks. These clicks are produced just below the blowhole and are emitted at a rate of approximately 300 per second. When the sounds hit an object, they reverberate so the dolphin is aware something lies just ahead. In addition to using echolocation to communicate, dolphins also have signature whistles or squeals. They are used to convey emotional states. In this way, each dolphin can distinguish itself from other dolphins.

Dolphins are fascinating to watch. People oftentimes find themselves mesmerized by the mammals frolicking in the water. Indeed, it is not uncommon to see a person walking or running along the beach following a dolphin swimming parallel to shore. And when dolphins approach a boat, it is almost as if they are making an effort to communicate with those on board. They appear gregarious. These, and similar, patterns of behavior have led many observers to believe that dolphins may have a unique effect on people; especially people with disabilities.

Dolphin-Assisted Therapy

Aquatic therapists have long understood that being in the water has a therapeutic effect on people with varying types of disabilities. For example, immersion in water can free a person with a physical disability from a wheelchair, allowing for freedom of movement not otherwise experienced. Additionally, water provides a constant surrounding pressure that is soothing to sensitive nerve endings for people who are tactilely defensive.

Adding dolphins to the mix of aquatic benefits may create additional therapeutic benefits. Their beauty, grace, and responsiveness have compelled therapists and researchers alike to investigate whether such benefits are likely. This has led in turn to the evolution of a treatment referred to as "dolphin-assisted therapy."

Although dolphin-assisted therapy dates back to the 1950s and the work of Dr. John Lilly, who studied the effects of dolphins on individuals with disabilities, Dr. Betsy Smith, an educational anthropologist at Florida International University (FIU), is credited with having formally initiated the first line of research in 1971. For almost 30 years, studies on dolphin-assisted therapy have produced a variety of results, and numerous theories have been posited as explanations. Researchers have found, for example, that dolphin-assisted therapy aids in reducing stress and increasing relaxation, alleviating depression, boosting production of infection fighting T-cells, stimulating production of endorphins and hormones, enhancing recovery, and reducing pain.

These results have been drawn from examinations of brain wave patterns, psychological testing, blood chemistry, health of the immune system, the state of the brain, and in cell make-up.

While encouraging, these changes have yet to be explained scientifically. Nevertheless, many theories about the benefits of dolphin-assisted therapy have been proffered. They range from a belief that individuals experience stimulation of the immune system when interacting with dolphins, thus promoting healing; to a belief that individuals receive such joy and unconditional love from dolphins that they are more apt to experience recovery.

One of the more popular theories is that the dolphin's use of sonar and echolocation produces changes in a person's body tissue and cell structure. Similar to the effect of music therapy, some researchers have suggested that the sounds dolphins emit through their whistles and clicks help produce these changes. Indeed, some individuals swimming with dolphins have reported actually sensing that they were being scanned. They say the echolocation resonated in their bones as they felt it pass through their bodies, producing a tingling sensation.

Another theory is that dolphins are uniquely sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities and seek to help them through playful expressions of concern. This is sometimes referred to as a "secret language" shared when dolphins and people with disabilities "communicate." Dr. Smith goes so far as to suggest that dolphins communicate acoustically with a variety of movements and attend to the body cues of individuals; in particular, individuals with autism, thereby seemingly understanding their thoughts and actions.

Despite the appeal of these theories, others reason that any therapeutic effects from dolphin encounters may be attributed solely to the joy they bring people through their happy and playful nature. FIU professors of education, Jack Scott, Claudia Clark, and Michael Brady conclude that the joy experienced from playing with dolphins is simply reinforcing. In their opinion, "... the novelty, attention, and general quality of life enhancement accompanying repeated trips to places such as the Florida Keys, are factors likely to increase [patients'] motivation and desire to learn." Still others contend that humans simply like the company of dolphins and that it is no more than a leisure experience.

This debate over the effects of dolphin-assisted therapy is reminiscent of a larger long-standing debate among therapeutic recreation professionals. Can we expect specific, predictable outcomes from therapeutic recreation interventions a la physical therapy, or can we expect only that the joy that comes with recreation experiences might, on occasion, result in non-specific, non-predictable outcomes? Is therapeutic recreation service, then, primarily a tool to improve a person's daily functioning, or is it primarily a tool to facilitate joy?

Island Dolphin Care

Whatever the answers to these questions, Deena Hoagland knows her work is not yet finished. She is certain that her son's relationship with Fonzie provided the motivation he needed to experience success. And she is confident that dolphin-assisted therapy can help other children in similar ways. Consequently, with the blessing of Mr. Borguss, Deena started a small, part-time dolphin-assisted therapy program that has now evolved into a full-time, non-profit program.

Island Dolphin Care provides recreational, educational, and motivational programs with marine-based themes. Its guiding philosophy is to provide leisure opportunities that enhance the health and well being of children with disabilities and their families. Through the activities at Island Dolphin Care, families are able to share unique recreational experiences that bond them together. Deena learned from her own experience that parents preoccupied with care-giving and medical bills often forget to have fun with their children. Time spent at Island Dolphin Care aims to remedy that.

Island Dolphin Care is primarily about fun and families together. The staff works to help families find new ways to interact with one another and new ways to motivate their children to continue to grow and learn. Deena doesn't claim to provide medical treatment, and she doesn't promise to be a miracle worker. What she does promise is a rewarding recreational experience for the entire family, an experience that features humans and dolphins swimming together, playing together, and learning together. It is an experience that -- for Deena's family at least -- changed everything.

References for this article are available from Alexis McKenney, Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, College of Education, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199.

Resources:

Dolphins Plus Inc. P.O. Box 2728 Key Largo, Florida 33037 [phone] Toll-free [phone]

Internet: http://www.pennekamp.com/dolphins-plus/

Email: [e-mail]

Sarah's Dolphin Page

http://www.geocities.com/Enchanted Forest/Cottage/1165/index.html

SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Information Database

http://www.seaworld.org/bottlenose_dolphin/behavdol.html

Alexis McKenney is an assistant professor of therapeutic recreation at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. She received her Ph.D. in Recreation and Leisure Studies, with an emphasis on therapeutic recreation, from the University of Georgia in 1999, and her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Florida. McKenney has over 20 years of experience in the field of recreation, and she has published several articles and chapters in therapeutic recreation, primarily centered on topics related to character development and leisure.

Daniel L. Dustin is a professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Florida International University. A past president of the Academy of Leisure Sciences and the Society of Park and Recreation Educators, his most recent works include Nature and the Human Spirit: Toward an Expanded Land Management Ethic, and The Wilderness Within: Reflections on Leisure and Life. Dr. Dustin earned his Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Education with an emphasis on recreation and park administration from the University of Minnesota.

Robert Wolff is a professor and chair in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Florida International University. Dr. Wolff has a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Akron, an MBA in Marketing from Ohio State University, and a MA and Ph.D. from Ohio State University in Outdoor Recreation Management/ Education. His academic interests are in Service Marketing, Tourism, and Legal Aspects of Parks, Recreation, and Sports. Together, the three present "The Promise of Dolphin-Assisted Therapy".