Long-term Effects of AAT in Patients With ABI

The aim of this study is to investigate weather patients treated with animal‐assisted therapy show better socioemotional skills compared to treatment as usual. 70 patients will be allocated randomly to one of two groups (control group and intervention group). During 6 weeks, all patients get two therapy sessions (AAT vs. TAU) per week. The 35 patients in the control group will get treatment as usual (TAU) in speech therapy, occupational therapy or physiotherapy twice a week whereas the 35 patients in the intervention group will get the same therapies but there will be an animal included in the therapy sessions. The main outcome is the amount of expressed emotion and interaction in a standardized social situation measured via behavioral video coding. Measurements will be done before the first therapy session (pre‐measurement, t0) and after the last therapy session (post‐measurement, t1) of the 6 weeks of intervention. The follow‐up measurement will be done 6 weeks (follow‐up I, t2) and 12 weeks later (follow‐up II, t3).