Research: Life Begins on an Ant Farm for Two Patients with Asperger’s Syndrome

Authored by Topel, EM, and Lachmann FM in Psychoanalytic Psychology, Volume 25, Issue 4, p. 602-617, (2008).

Article summary (posted Dec 30, 2008):

Ant farms may be a useful tool for helping people with Asperger syndrome learn about social structure.

This article is a case study of two people with Asperger syndrome who were given a treatment program of animal therapy combined with psychotherapy. At the start of the study, neither patient knew how to relate to others. One patient was a man who came from a strong and noisy family. One patient was an eight-year-old boy who came from a quiet family. Ants were helpful to both of them as a symbol and concrete presence to move psychotherapy treatment forward.

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You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
animal-assisted therapy (AAT), Asperger Syndrome, autism, case study, family, psychologist, psychotherapy, therapy, treatment
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