Shallow Waters of Dolphin Therapy Claims

Dolphins are some of the most charming, charismatic and entertaining animals in the ocean. Adding to their mystique, they have gained a reputation for their supposed healing powers over the last couple of decades.
Facilities scattered around the world offer various forms of dolphin-assisted therapy for people with mental and physical ailments. Essentially, it's an expensive opportunity to swim with dolphins. Parents of children with severe autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or other disabilities spend thousands of dollars on such dolphin-based treatments in hopes that the animals can reach their kids in ways that psychiatrists, physical therapists or medications never could.

N.Y. Early Intervention, Therapy Cuts

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Alexzander Hayden spoke like any other toddler until a few months after his second birthday.
"Out of the blue, his speech started disappearing," said his mother, Hollie Hayden, who lives in Latham. "He would scream and throw a cup at the refrigerator instead of giving me the cup and telling me he wanted something to drink."
Alexzander was evaluated and qualified for "early intervention" services that helped him start talking again.
Therapists who treat infants and toddlers with speech, behavioral and physical problems say fewer children like Alexzander will get services due to state budget cuts.

Dolphin Therapy Booming Despite Amid Criticism

If you have a child with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome or autism -- and you have a week or two and a few thousand dollars to spare -- a growing and controversial group of global entrepreneurs claims it can your child feel better by putting him or her in close contact with dolphins.
The strategy is known as dolphin-assisted therapy, and the basic idea is that even brief exposure to these charismatic creatures -- swimming around with them, petting and kissing them, watching them do tricks and hearing their clicking calls in tanks, lagoons or the open ocean -- is so uniquely rewarding that it produces benefits all by itself and/or jump-starts a patient's receptiveness to more-conventional therapy.
The dolphin-therapy business has been booming, fueled in part by the rapid growth in diagnoses of childhood mental disorders such as autism. The practice, however, is fiercely criticized by researchers and marine mammal conservationists. These critics charge that it is no more effective and considerably more expensive than skillful conventional treatment, while potentially harmful to the humans and the animals.