Outcomes of Dog-Assisted Therapy for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

This study evaluated the outcomes of dog-assisted therapy for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Secondary aims were to understand needs of youth with ASD and to evaluate therapy procedures. This study used a one group pre-post design. Thirtyfour individuals with ASD aged between 4 and 19 attended five weekly sessions of dogassisted therapy. The Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) and Social- Responsiveness Scale 2 (SRS-2) assessment tools were used to evaluate changes in autistic behaviour and social impairment, respectively. Final sessions were rated on activity-specific dog involvement, participant independence and engagement. Findings indicated no significant difference between ATEC or SRS-2 pre- and post-test scores. Further studies with experimental designs and longer treatment duration are warranted to clarify efficacy of dogassisted therapy for ASD.