Animal Assisted Learning Program

Chickens to Love

Chickens to Love is a Neurodiversity-Affirming Animal Assisted Learning (AAL) Program that embraces diverse ways of feeling, regulating, communicating, and relating. Through meaningful engagement with chickens, participants are invited to explore perspectives, consent, boundaries, and respectful connection in ways that protect autonomy and affirm identity.

This program recognises that neurodivergence intersects with identity, culture, gender, disability, trauma history, and lived experiences. These interconnected layers shape how each participant experiences safety, connection and belonging.

Chickens to Love offers structured, yet flexible, opportunities for participants to observe, interpret, and respond to chicken behaviour. These experiences are not designed to correct, normalise, or shape social expectations. Instead, the program builds awareness of relational cues and responses, deepens understanding of nervous system’s needs, and supports authentic self-regulation, while encouraging exploration of diverse ways of communicating and relating.

Within the Chickens to Love program, emotional regulation is understood as recognising and responding to body signals, not suppressing emotions or enforcing compliance. Participation is invitation-based and guided by choice. Individuals may engage through touch, observation, reflection, discussion, movement, or quiet presence, making all forms of engagement valid and meaningful.

Target Age Range

Designed for school-aged children and adaptable across all age groups and developmental stages.

Suitable Settings

Mainstream classrooms
Inclusive education environments
Disability support programs
Community wellbeing settings
Small group or individual sessions

Delivery Format

Four structured learning engagement sessions
60-90 minutes per session
Delivered intensively or across the school term
Small group format recommended (4-8 participants), with flexibility to adjust based on individual needs

Who Can Deliver This Program

This program may be delivered by educators, support workers, youth workers, allied health professionals, or trained Animal-Assisted Learning Facilitators.

Facilitators are responsible for;

Maintaining high standards of animal welfare and biosecurity
Ensuring risk assessment and hygiene practices are followed
Creating an emotionally and physically safe environment
Presuming competence
Respecting autonomy and consent
Supporting diverse regulation needs
Prioritising connection over compliance
Educational Alignment

This program aligns with;

Australian Curriculum (Personal, Social and Community Health)
Literacy and Language
Literacy and Language
Biological Sciences
Trauma-informed practice principles
Neurodiversity-affirming practice frameworks
Animal welfare centered facilitation

Neurodiversity-Affirming Practice Statement

Chickens to Love is guided by neurodiversity-affirming principles. Neurodiversity recognises neurological differences as natural and valuable forms of human diversity. These differences are not deficits to be corrected, but meaningful ways of perceiving, processing, and experiencing the world. This program does not aim to “normalise” behaviour or shape participants to conform to non-neurodivergent social expectations. Instead, it creates space to explore communication, consent, co-regulation, and perspective-taking in ways that honour autonomy, lived experience, and individual strengths.

Autonomy and Choice

Participation is always voluntary. Observation is recognised as valid participation, and physical interaction is never needed. Goals are defined collaboratively and guided by each person’s preferences, interests, and strengths. Success is not measured by eye contact, stillness, verbal participation, or conformity to social norms. Regulation focuses on understanding and supporting the needs of the nervous system, not suppressing emotions or behaviours. Participants are welcome to stim, move, fidget, or regulate in ways that feel safe and supportive. Accommodations are available to all participants, regardless of diagnosis. Self-advocacy is encouraged and respected, and behaviours are understood in context rather than judged as “good” or “bad.”

Strength-Based and Sensory Awareness

Attention to detail, deep focus, sensitivity to animal cues, honesty, persistence, and unique perspectives are recognised as strengths. Growth is defined individually and collaboratively. Facilitators proactively consider sound, movement, texture, lighting, smell, and unpredictability within the chicken environment. Participants are prepared for changes, and sensory accommodations are offered without requiring justification.

Finally, we recognise that behaviours sometimes labelled as “disorder” or “dysfunction” are often adaptive responses to environmental, social, or sensory differences. Chickens to Love exists to foster connection, autonomy, emotional awareness, and mutual respect for both humans and chickens.

Foreword

There is an incredibly special bond that occurs between Summer and their chickens. They understand each other and have an amazing connection. We need to develop a similar understanding and a sense of connection with autistic children.

As Summer explored the abilities, personalities, and qualities of their chickens, Summer developed a unique program to improve the communication of thoughts and feelings and social engagement between those who are neurodivergent and those who are neurotypical.

The benefits will include a greater understanding of social dynamics, improved self-acceptance and reduced anxiety. The activities are engaging, enjoyable and insightful. I learned and appreciated so much when Summer gave a demonstration of their program and have no hesitation in endorsing Chickens to Love.

Professor Tony Attwood

Some programs are created from professional knowledge. Others are created from lived experience, deep observation, compassion, and authentic connection. Chickens to Love is one of those rare programs that brings all of these elements together beautifully.

Summer Farrelly has created something truly meaningful. Through their relationship with chickens, Summer recognised the importance of trust, consent, predictability, communication, and nervous system safety, not only for animals, but for humans as well. What emerged from these insights is an innovative animal-assisted learning program that honours both neurodivergent experiences and animal wellbeing with remarkable depth and care.

As Founder of Animal Therapies Ltd, I have seen firsthand the growing recognition of animal-assisted services across education, disability support, mental health, and community wellbeing settings. What makes Chickens to Love particularly significant is its strong neurodiversity-affirming approach and its commitment to relational safety, autonomy, and authentic connection.

This program does not ask participants to mask who they are or conform to socially expected ways of communicating. Instead, it creates opportunities for individuals to better understand themselves, others, and the many different ways humans and animals express needs, emotions, boundaries, and trust.

Summer’s ability to translate flock dynamics, animal behaviour, sensory awareness, and emotional understanding into engaging and accessible learning experiences is extraordinary. The program reflects insight, creativity, empathy, and a profound respect for both people and animals.

Chickens to Love is an important contribution to the evolving field of animal-assisted learning and a wonderful example of how lived experience can shape truly impactful and inclusive practice. It is an honour to support and endorse this work.

Yours in wellness,

Wendy Coombe

Founder
Animal Therapies Ltd

Advancing understanding, acceptance, and accessibility of animal-assisted services for those in need.

animaltherapies.org.au | animalassistedservices.org.au