Service Dog/Training for Anxiety Disorders PTSD

Continuing prerequisite reading from WU article Service Dog.

Type classification: this is a lesson resource.

Educational level: this is a non-formal education resource.

Subject Classification: this is a neuroscience resource.

No legal or veterinary advice disclaimer from prerequisite page applies.

This is a research project in developing a foundation for training the PTSD service. It may be of use secondarily as a earning resource but please understand our disclaimer and that this is primarily science, not pedagogy.

Advanced lecture continues here

The US framework for training service dog work at the onset of a dystonic episode establishes two phases of what could be called the "canonical dyad" of medico-legal training dogma. To wit, "recognition" of handler distress and "response".This project in original research first published at Wikiversity, contends that commercial trainers are biased to overemphasis of the response phase because flashy canine responses impress lay audiences.

Cognitive theories of pattern recognition as a basis for training medical

. The below text uses cognitive psychology theory to develop a method of training recognition of handler distress. RECOGNITION TRAINING FRAMEWORK "Since we usually cannot rely on the sensory store [in the canine assistant /trainee brain] to match patterns [of decompensation states of panic onset, paranoia,agitation, or depression], we must compare descriptions of patterns. Feature theories allow us to described a pattern by listing its parts." (Source- Cognition,Theory and Applications by Stephen K Reed Seventh Edition Part I Information-Processing Stages Chapter Two Pattern Recognition, p.22 Feature theories)

Citing Gibson, Principles of Perceptual Learning and Development, (1969), professor Reed states that perceptual learning occurs through the discovery of features that distinguish [italicized in original] one pattern from another." This is confirmed by recording action potential of neurons in the visual cortex, demonstrating that specific brain cells respond to narrowly limited features such as such minute details as the length of a line. Obviously, with canines thee is a highly developed olfactory feature processing capability for which the same kind of neuronal specificity would presumptively apply. Training recognition would entail development of canine perception of features in olfactory, visual, auditory and tactile dimensions.

As Reed points out (22), "it is often a challenging task to find a good set f features". Gibson proposed a feature-set model illustrated by a table of features. Features present in some members of the set but not others, provides the contrast with which to distinguish members of the set. In our application, the sets vary for each task for which the canine assistant is being trained.

Training for recognition of dystonic states (panic,paranoia,depression,agitation) can be structured using sign anii symptom lists from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. Symptoms listed under various diagnoses maybe used whether or not there is a formal diagnosis for any such syndrome if there is reason to believe the symptom has manifest in the past. In addition, any diagnosis which has been suggested, diagnosed or fits patient history can be used for such feature/sign-and-symptom list. See footnote 1.

Future lectures

Theories of pattern recognition

Developing features list of medic alert triggers

Structural theories of cognition

Canine recognition of adverse psychic events in human handlers

Neural network theories

Footnotes

Footnote 0: Dogs have been trained to detect tumors via their olfactory capabilities. In one case, the canine subject became agitated and alerted to what turned out to be an occult tumor developing in one of the researchers involved in the experimental training project.

Footnote 1: This applies whether or not we know with certainty that the symptom exists and Whether or not we like to think of the k9 handler as someone who ute exactly fits our stereotypes of a person suffering from the explicit mental disease suggested. It is strategy ctly an operational methodology and should not be construed as suggesting or evidencing that the diagnosis is a definitive scientific fact written in stone. It should not be used to create stigma or prejudice patient autonomy but used as a hypothetical working method for extacting features with which to train the animal.