Terapia Assistida por Animais como Facilitadora da Socialização em Pacientes com Transtorno do Espectro Autista: Uma Revisão Integrativa
Palavras-chave:
Autismo, Socialização, terapia, animaisResumo
O Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) caracteriza-se por déficits na comunicação e interação social, que impactam significativamente a qualidade de vida dos indivíduos e de suas famílias. Nesse contexto, as Terapias Assistidas por Animais (TAA) emergem como intervenções complementares capazes de promover benefícios físicos, emocionais e psicossociais. Esta revisão integrativa teve como objetivo analisar evidências científicas recentes acerca da contribuição das TAA — com ênfase no uso de cães de assistência e equoterapia — na socialização de pessoas com TEA. A busca foi realizada nas bases PubMed, SciELO e Lilacs, incluindo artigos publicados nos últimos cinco anos. Foram selecionados quinze estudos, englobando ensaios clínicos, estudos piloto e observacionais. Os resultados apontaram melhorias expressivas na comunicação e no comportamento social, além de evidências de redução do estresse fisiológico, fortalecimento de vínculos afetivos, aprimoramento motor e maior integração familiar. Também foram observados efeitos positivos na autonomia, autorregulação emocional e no engajamento em contextos sociais e terapêuticos. Conclui-se que as TAA constituem uma abordagem eficaz e multidimensional no cuidado de indivíduos com TEA, promovendo benefícios mensuráveis que vão além da socialização, ao integrar dimensões biológicas, emocionais e relacionais do desenvolvimento humano.
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