The study involved four participants who were assigned to four well-trained elephants at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. Each participant that volunteered for the study was an autistic client from the clinic of occupational therapy and ranged in age from 11-19 years. All were male. The participants were evaluated on function and competence using standardized tests and systematic observation, both before and after implementing the TETP. The elephant - assisted therapy program ran for a duration of three weeks, four days per week. During this time, the activities of the participants ranged from learning about the elephants and their habitat to actually riding and caring for the elephant (feeding, bathing, etc.)
The results from the post-evaluation data are extremely promising since every participant showed improvement in the function of sensory processing, social skills, postural control and balance, performance of daily living activities, and adaptive behavior. Parents also reported that these functional skills carried over to other contexts, such as home and school.
