In a recently published scientific paper by paediatricians Anna Baverstock and Fiona Finlay of the Community Child Health Department in Bath conclude that there is no reliable evidence that DAT actually works. Finlay and Baverstock go so far as to say that it may even prevent patients from seeking more effective and traditional forms of treatment.

They were driven to conduct the review when approached by a mother seeking medial support for her son, wishing to determine whether DAT had any health benefit for children suffering from cerebral palsy. Their findings support the beliefs of the Marine Connection that, at best, DAT has the same percentage of success and failure as therapy conducted with domestic animals like dogs, cats or even horses.

Dolphin therapy programmes operate in countries throughout the world, including the USA, Mexico, Israel and Russia. Promoters of this therapy claim that DAT can effectively improve anything from language and behaviour to certain medical conditions. However, whilst many facilities make use of very slick, expensive advertising to promote their 'therapy' sessions, many places offering DAT are run in countries where no regulations or standards are in place governing the safety of participants, the facility or the welfare of the animals being used in DAT sessions.

Furthermore, participants are not warned about the dangers of being in close proximity to these animals in a captive environment. There is always risk of disease transmission from dolphin/human and vice versa plus it is not unknown for dolphins, albeit unwittingly, to inflict injury on humans.

It is the Marine Connection's view therefore that DAT is the worst type of victimisation of already vulnerable members of the public. Understandably people are willing to try anything to assist a loved one, and in many cases people will undoubtedly have spent many years in attempting to find a solution or cure for them, so when faced with the 'promise' of a cure from these facilities they believe it to be true - and it is this belief that is keeping these facilities in business, not proof of effectiveness of the therapy. For this reason we very much welcome this latest review in the hope that those considering DAT will investiage other methods of treatment.