Dolphin-assisted therapy for children with mental disabilities has made a splash in the

West, and China is now riding the experimental tide. More than 80 parents of children with severe mental disabilities have booked all of next years spots in the program.(Sessions only run in the summer because the water temperatures are too cold for the kids in other seasons.)However, newcomers must wait until 2014, says Liu【M1】______ Quansheng, manager of the parks owner, Zhejiang Aquarium Investment Group. Despite of the demand, dolphin-assisted therapy has not been 【M2】______ scientifically proven. Still, many experts and parents of special-needs children swear in it. While the science of dolphin-assisted therapys 【M3】______ assortment of purported benefits hasnt been verified, many believe at least some benefits come from the experiences emotional magic. "Once the children are in the pool theyre only focused on the dolphins. They love it, because the creatures let the kids touch and kiss them, grab their fins and swim with them." Most opponents agree on the merit of the fun factor. Some also 【M4】______ claim it boost peoples immune systems. And many experts contend the【M5】______ therapys benefits run deeper. Dolphins presence palpably changes water. Those which swim with the creatures report fizzing sounds, as if【M6】______ the marine mammals carbonate the water. The sound has been compared as popcorn, flames and sparklers. The marine animals 【M7】______ ultrasonic energy is four times powerful than scientific instruments 【M8】______ using to peer inside the body to make diagnoses, monitor pregnancies 【M9】______ and break in kidney stones, gallstones and cataract-clouded lenses. This【M10】______ is amplified by the water, which transmits sounds at 60 times airs efficiency. The ultrasonic energy then enters our bodies — which are, in turn, mostly water. But how — and if — this helps children with mental disabilities remains unclear.

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