The purpose of this integrative review of the literature is to examine the effectiveness of equine assisted therapy with individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). An extensive review of the literature was conducted regarding children diagnosed with ASD who received equine therapy, equine psychotherapy, therapeutic horseback riding, or horse therapy. Inclusion criteria include articles written in the English language, articles that were peer-reviewed, and had a publication date from 2006 to present. Fourteen articles were analyzed regarding children with ASD who participated in different types of equine therapy. The majority of the studies found individuals with ASD who participated in equine therapy had improvements in behavior, social interactions, and communication with decreased stereotypical ASD behaviors. Only one article found no changes in behavior. Most of the articles had very small sample sizes that limited the generalizability of the findings. There were many different ways that the research was conducted and therefore the screening measures were completely different for all studies. Many studies did not take gender of participants into account, whether the participants were verbal or nonverbal, and other treatments the participants were receiving. Although the literature analyzed had different methodologies, the overall research suggests equine assisted therapy can be a beneficial therapy for individuals with ASD and therefore could be considered a viable treatment option. The outcomes of this integrative review supports the need for larger, randomized, controlled trials with larger samples to effectively evaluate the effects of equine therapy.

This thesis deals with the subject of keeping and using animals in primary schools. The theoretical part of this thesis reviews various scientific studies into the impact of animals on pupils during education and the possible benefits of animal breeding in schools. Furthermore, the conditions for safe breeding and the most frequently kept animals in schools are discussed as well as the risks and difficulties that their breeding and daily maintenance brings. Moreover, it discusses the need to evaluate the welfare of school animals and legislative precautions on the subject in the Czech Republic. The practical part of this thesis details investigations into the number of Prague primary schools where animals were kept in the school year 2017/2018. Through interviewing a representative sample of schools, it was found that 37 % of Prague's primary schools kept an animal. Furthermore, the different species of animals kept in the schools, their location within the schools, the person bearing responsibility for the animals and the usage and the frequency of it within the curriculum were studied. It was found that 52 % of teachers do not use the school animal more often than once a month. Another subject of the research was to find out the reasons for the absence of animals in schools; 92 % of respondents...