The 'dog's corner' during the adaptation period in Early Childhood Education

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The research project is carried out in two educational centers, one in Móstoles, Colegio Alonso Cano, and another in Fuenlabrada, Colegio Maestra Trinidad. The project is co-subsidized by an agreement with the Educadoras Sin Fronteras Association and OIAA of the URJC.

The main purpose of the study is to delve into the mediation that 'the dog's corner' has in the traumatic moment that for many infants is the start of school at three years old. The corner methodology is a didactic strategy in which the classroom space is organized into different areas in which different skills are developed in each of them, and where the students in small groups go through them guided by the tutor.

The adaptation period is a didactic strategy so that the students, staggered by number of students and by length of stay in the center; facilitate their integration into school routines. Both strategies are widespread in most schools.

The research team, made up of professors César Bernal, Daniel Collado and professor Diana Amado, has developed the necessary instruments and protocols to answer the research question, respecting the criteria of animal welfare, the ethical criteria of the Committee and its own. Ethics of the University, as well as the possible cases that occur in the educational reality, such as, for example, that a student has allergies to dogs.

The project has the Coordination of Israel González, director of the IAA Office and with the same experience in the start-up and execution of this type of programs where the role of the dog as support for professionals in this case of Education .

The OIAA is developing other animal-assisted intervention projects in ASD classrooms, for example, which, as they point out, need more support and collaboration from teachers interested in socio-educational and health research.