The initial study involved a random selection of 15 participants
from a cohort of 32 children with autism who had taken
part in the dolphin-assisted therapy between 2007 and 2011.
Their ages ranged from 6 to 17 years old at the time of this
study. All were formally diagnosed by psychologists to have
autism since 3–4 years of age. Among the 15 participants, two
were twin sisters while the remaining were boys. Of the 15 participants,
seven are nonverbal, another three are with limited speech and the remaining five are verbal and could hold a decent
conversation with others though rather egocentric. Parents
or guardians of these selected children were informed and their
written consents were obtained.