Playing with dogs increases the positive mood in children with ASD. Animals also can serve as a social catalyst. In the presence of animals, children with ASD are more likely engage in social interactions with humans. However, the impact of AAT upon parent-child interaction is not clear. AAT encourages expressions of emotions and cognitive stimulation through discussions and reminiscing of memories while the patient bonds with the animal. Studies have found that animal assisted therapies (particularly using dogs) resulted in measurable quality of life improvements for patients with dementia. Patients with dementia were also found to improve their social interactions and their scores on the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI). AAT has also been shown to slightly reduce depressive symptoms in people with dementia in a 2019 systematic review. There is limited scientific research on the use of AAT within the population of adults who have been sexually assaulted. While animals do tend to comfort victims, animal therapy may not be the catalyst that provides positive success in therapy sessions. As mentioned above, adults tend not to focus as much on having an animal companion, and therefore, animal therapy cannot be attributed as the reason for success in those types of therapy sessions.[5]  There are some ethical concerns that arise when applying animal therapy to younger victims of sexual assault. For example, if a child is introduced to an animal that is not their pet, the application of animal therapy can cause some concerns. First of all, some children may not be comfortable with animals or may be frightened which could be avoided by asking permission to use animals in therapy. Second, a special bond is created between animal and child during animal therapy. Therefore, if the animal in question does not belong to the child, there may be some negative side effects when the child discontinues therapy. The child will have become attached to the animal, which does raise some ethical issues as far as subjecting a child to the disappointment and possible relapse that can occur after therapy discontinues.[5]   The effectiveness of AAT is also still unclear due to the lack of clarity regarding the degree to which the canine itself contributes in the recovery process. There are some concerns specific to dolphin-assisted therapy: First, it is potentially hazardous to the human patients, and it is harmful to the dolphins themselves; by taking dolphins out of their natural environment and putting them in captivity for therapy can be hazardous to their well-being. Second, dolphin-assisted therapy has been strongly criticized as having no long term benefit, and being based on flawed observations. Third, psychologists have cautioned that dolphin assisted therapy is not effective for any known condition.