The role of physical activity in animal-assisted interventions for autism: A systematic review

Abstract

Purpose: Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) may have therapeutic effects for autism. Physical activity (PA) has many established benefits for autism. AAIs appear to involve PA, which may drive some of their beneficial effects. The purpose of this review was to quantify the extent to which AAIs involve PA and to describe the PA dose. Methods: A systematic search was conducted for relevant articles published between January 2015 and May 2022. A total of 1,949 articles were identified with 38 articles eligible for inclusion. PA involvement and dose were determined by matching the intervention description to PA values in the Compendium of Physical Activities. Results: PA was involved in 31 of the studies. Animal species included horses ( n = 17), dogs ( n = 17), dolphins ( n = 3), and cats ( n = 1). All horse, 70% of dog and 67% of dolphin studies included PA. PA dose varied; however, horse and dolphin studies involved moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA and dog studies involved light-intensity PA. PA was assessed in only one study. Conclusion: AAIs for autism involve PA but are not designed as PA interventions nor is PA measured. AAIs could be designed as animal-assisted PA interventions to capitalize on the benefits of PA for both overall health and characteristics of autism.