Tiergestützte Interventionen in der Heil- und Sonderpädagogik: Chancen für psychische Gesundheit, Lernen und Teilhabe

Yvonne Scherrer; Priska Hagmann-von Arx

doi:10.57161/z2026-03-07

Autor/innen

Yvonne Scherrer Interkantonale Hochschule für Heilpädagogik
Priska Hagmann-von Arx Interkantonale Hochschule für Heilpädagogik

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57161/z2026-03-07

Schlagworte:

tiergestützte Pädagogik, psychische Gesundheit, Lernen, Partizipation, Kooperation, Tierwohl

Abstract

Tiergestützte Interventionen gewinnen im schulischen Kontext zunehmend an Bedeutung, gerade auch in der Heil- und Sonderpädagogik. Empirische Befunde weisen auf vielfältige Wirkungen hin: Biologisch durch eine verbesserte Stressregulation, psychisch durch eine gesteigerte Lernmotivation und kognitive Leistungsfähigkeit sowie sozial durch erhöhte Kooperation und Interaktion. Positive Effekte zeigen sich auch bei Kindern und Jugendlichen mit besonderen pädagogischen Bedürfnissen. Gleichzeitig bestehen Herausforderungen hinsichtlich Evidenzlage, Qualitätssicherung, schulrechtlicher Rahmenbedingungen und Tierwohl.

Literaturhinweise

Aviv, Tal-li M. (2025). From Disability to Advantage: Equine-Assisted Therapy (EAT) in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. In Y. Neria, P. W. Fisher & A. J. Hamilton (Eds.), Guide to Equine Assisted Therapy (pp. 245–264). Springer.

BAG (Bundesamt für Gesundheit) (2026). Zoonosen. https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/zoonosen [Zugriff: 11.02.2026]

Beetz, A., Uvnäs-Moberg, K., Julius, H. & Kotrschal, K. (2012). Psychosocial and psychophysiological effects of human-animal interactions: The possible role of oxytocin. Frontiers in psychology, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00234

Beetz, A. (2013). Socio-emotional correlates of a schooldog-teacher-team in the classroom. Frontiers in psychology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00886

Beetz, A. (2021). Hunde im Schulalltag: Grundlagen und Praxis. Reinhardt.

Brandão, C., Sampaio, M., Sousa-Gomes, V., Fávero, M. & Moreira, D. (2025). Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy for Anxiety Reduction in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14 (1). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14010287

Brelsford, V. L., Meints, K., Gee, N. R. & Pfeffer, K. (2017). Animal-assisted interventions in the classroom – A systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 14 (7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070669

Corallo, F., Bonanno, L., Cardile, D., Luvarà, F., Giliberto, S., Di Cara, M., Leonardi, S., Quartarone, A., Rao, G. & Pidalà, A. (2023). Improvement of self-esteem in children with specific learning disorders after donkey-assisted therapy. Children, 10 (3). https://doi.org/10.3390/children10030425

Erbacher, J. C. E. & Bördlein, C. (2026). Dog-assisted interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, Research on Social Work Practice, 36 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315241307635

Fine, A. H. & Ferrell, J. (2021). Conceptualizing the human–animal bond and animal-assisted interventions. In J. M. Peralta & A. H. Fine (Eds.), The welfare of animals in animal-assisted interventions: Foundations and best practice methods (pp. 21–41). Springer.

Gabriels, R. L., Pan, Z., Dechant, B., Agnew, J. A., Brim, N. & Mesibov, G. (2015). Randomized controlled trial of therapeutic horseback riding in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54 (7), 541–549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2015.04.007

Gee, N. R., Reed, T., Whiting, A., Friedmann, E., Snellgrove, D. & Sloman, K. A. (2019). Observing live fish improves perceptions of mood, relaxation and anxiety, but does not consistently alter heart rate or heart rate variability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16 (17). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16173113

Gesundheitsförderung Schweiz (2024). Konzept zur psychischen Gesundheit. https://gesundheitsfoerderung.ch/sites/default/files/2025-01/Konzept_zur_psychischen_Gesundheit_Gesundheitsfoerderung_Schweiz.pdf [Zugriff: 20.10.2025]

Glenk, L. M. & Foltin, S. (2021). Therapy dog welfare revisited: A review of the literature. Veterinary Sciences, 8 (10). https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci8100226

Hediger, K. & Turner, D. C. (2014). Can dogs increase children’s attention and concentration performance? A randomised controlled trial. Human-animal interaction bulletin, 2 (3), 21–39. https://doi.org/10.1079/hai.2014.0010

Hediger, K., Wagner, J., Künzi, P., Haefeli, A., Theis, F., Grob, C., Pauli, E. & Gerger, H. (2021). Effectiveness of animal-assisted interventions for children and adults with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European journal of psychotraumatology, 12 (1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1879713

Heier, M. & Liese-Evers, M. (2021). Tiergestützte Interventionen mit Kindern und Jugendlichen: Ein Praxisbuch. Junfermann.

Heussen, N. & Häusler, M. (2022). Equine-assisted therapies for children with cerebral palsy: A meta-analysis. Pediatrics, 150 (1). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-055229

Kim, S.-H. (2024). The Role of Pet-Based Activities: Working with Rabbits to Improve Self-Esteem in Preschool Children. Animals, 14 (24). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14243565

Krsková, L., Talarovicová, A. & Olexová, L. (2010). Guinea pigs – The «Small Great» Therapist for Autistic Children, or: Do Guinea Pigs Have Positive Effects on Autistic Child Social Behavior? Society and Animals, 18 (2), 139–151.

Lobato Rincón, L. L., Rivera Martín, B., Medina Sánchez, M. Á., Villafaina, S., Merellano-Navarro, E. & Collado-Mateo, D. (2021). Effects of dog-assisted education on physical and communicative skills in children with severe and multiple disabilities: A pilot study. Animals, 11 (6). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061741

López-Cepero, J. (2020). Current status of animal-assisted interventions in scientific literature: A critical comment on their internal validity. Animals, 10 (6). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10060985

Meints, K., Brelsford, V. L., Dimolareva, M., Maréchal, L., Pennington, K., Rowan, E. & Gee, N. R. (2022). Can dogs reduce stress levels in school children? Effects of dog-assisted interventions on salivary cortisol in children with and without special educational needs using randomized controlled trials. PLoS One, 17 (6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269333

Meixner, J. & Kotrschal, K. (2022). Animal-assisted interventions with dogs in special education – A systematic review. Frontiers in psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.876290

Mombeck, M. (2022). Tiergestützte Pädagogik – Soziale Teilhabe – Inklusive Prozesse. Der Einsatz von Schulhunden aus wissenschaftlicher Perspektive. Springer.

Ngai, J. T., Yu, R. W., Chau, K. K. & Wong, P. W. (2021). Effectiveness of a school-based programme of animal-assisted humane education in Hong Kong for the promotion of social and emotional learning: A quasi-experimental pilot study. PLoS One, 16 (3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249033

Novotná, V., Zítek, Š., Procházková, R., Machová, K. & Svobodová, I. (2025). The Effect of Farm-Animal-Assisted Education on Memory Retention in Elementary School Children: An Exploratory Study. Anthrozoös, 38 (1), 61–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2024.2389644

O’Haire, M. E., McKenzie, S. J., McCune, S. & Slaughter, V. (2013). Effects of animal-assisted activities with guinea pigs in the primary school classroom. Anthrozoös, 26 (3), 445–458. https://doi.org/10.2752/175303713X13697429463835

O’Haire, M. E., Guérin, N. A. & Kirkham, A. C. (2015). Animal-assisted intervention for trauma: A systematic literature review. Frontiers in psychology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01121

Peralta, J. M. & Fine, A. H. (Eds.) (2021). The welfare of animals in animal-assisted interventions. Foundations and Best Practice Methods. Springer.

Pollmanns, M. & Kabel, S. (2023). Hunde in der Schule. Fallstudien zur Entpädagogisierung von Schule und Unterricht. Springer.

Schäfer, H., Schönhofen, K. & Beetz, A. (2023). Praxiswissen Schulhund: Sonderpädagogischer Schwerpunkt Geistige Entwicklung. Kohlhammer.

Schuck, S. E., Johnson, H. L., Abdullah, M. M., Stehli, A., Fine, A. H. & Lakes, K. D. (2018). The role of animal assisted intervention on improving self-esteem in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Frontiers in pediatrics, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2018.00300

VSHS (Verein Schulhunde Schweiz) (2020). Leitfaden Hundegestützte Pädagogik in der Schule (für Schulleitungen, Lehrpersonen und andere Interessierte). https://schulhunde-schweiz.ch/?page_id=3125 [Zugriff: 22.10.2025]

Wintermantel, L. & Grove, C. (2022). An evaluation of a dog-assisted social and emotional learning intervention in a school setting: Study protocol for a cluster-randomised trial. Mental Health & Prevention, 28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2022.200246

Wohlfarth, R., Mutschler, B. & Bitzer, E. (2013). Qualitätsmanagement bei tiergestützten Interventionen. FITT Forschungsbericht, 06.

Wu, A. & Wei, R. (2023). The benefits of dog-assisted therapy for children with anxiety. Psychotherapy and Counsel-ling Journal of Australia, 11 (2), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.59158/001c.84856

Zhi, T. X., Aziz, Z. A. & Taib, N. (2020). Introducing Animal-Assisted Intervention for Special Education in Integrated Farming System. IAFOR Journal of Education, 8 (4), 193–211. https://doi.org/10.22492/ije.8.4.11