Dog training intervention improves adaptive social communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder: A controlled crossover study

Abstract

There is some evidence that using therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder generally results in improved social communication skills and reduced behavioral problems. However, well-controlled studies that examine its effectiveness are scarce. This study examined the effectiveness of a "Dog Training Intervention." The study included 73 participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (61 males, 12 females) with age range of 2:10-7:6 years (M = 4:10 ± 1:0) who attend autism spectrum disorder-specific special education schools. The study population was divided into two groups. Each group received the dog training intervention during one part of the school year (first half or second half) in addition to the standard interventions provided by the special education school settings. The dog training intervention was given twice weekly for 4 months within the school setting. The group that received the dog training intervention first showed a significant increase in adaptive social and communication skills in comparison to the second group that did not receive the intervention in this period. This improvement was maintained after the dog training intervention. The second group, which received intervention at the second half of the year, showed improvement in communication and socialization adaptive skills only during the period in which they received the dog training intervention. The positive impact on social communication adaptive skills of the dog training intervention among young children with autism spectrum disorder suggests that dogs may serve as an effective model for establishing social interaction. Dog training intervention appears to be an effective adjunct treatment to the interventions provided in special education schools for young children with autism spectrum disorder.