Abstract
The use of assistance dogs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is an emerging field, with interventions varying from formal assistance dog programs aimed at increasing child safety in public, to incorporating assistance dogs into therapy sessions. Previous reviews have suggested mostly positive outcomes from participating in such programs, however cited a lack of high quality studies available. This systematic review aims to answer the question: what effect does participating in an assistance dog program have on the quality of life of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and their caregivers? After analysis, ten studies were deemed to meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were included in the review. Findings suggest that participating in various Autism assistance dog programs can: 1) increase child safety in public, which in turn decreases self-reported parental stress and increases self-reported parental confidence in managing their child; 2) increase positive behaviours and decrease negative behaviours; and 3) facilitate motor, communication and social development. However, disparities were found between studies, particularly between quantitative and qualitative results, and between the quality of the projects’ design. These factors indicate that further, high quality research is still needed to support emerging evidence.
Highlights
The use of assistance dogs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is an emerging field, with interventions varying from formal assistance dog programs aimed at increasing child safety in public, to incorporating assistance dogs into therapy sessions
Examples of articles excluded at this stage include Wright et al (2015), who examined the effect of pet dogs in families with children with Autism; and Butterly, Percy, & Ward (2013) who reviewed outcome measures used in Autism assistance dog programs
Half of the studies reviewed the experiences of families who engaged in formal Autism assistance dog programs, and the remaining studies used more clinical designs, introducing assistance dogs to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) during controlled therapy sessions
Summary
The use of assistance dogs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder is an emerging field, with interventions varying from formal assistance dog programs aimed at increasing child safety in public, to incorporating assistance dogs into therapy sessions. The use of assistance dogs for children with ASD is an emerging field, with interventions varying from formal assistance dog programs aimed at increasing child safety in public, to the use of therapy dogs as part of efforts to improve support for children with ASD and their families. Formal Autism assistance dog programs aim to increase the child’s safety in public through a belt attachment around the child’s waist connected to the dog’s coat (Burrows et al, 2008); whereas with a therapy dog, a therapist is present and interactions take place alongside activities aiming to facilitate social behaviours and use of language (Berry, Borgi, Francia, Alleva, & Cirulli, 2013). There is emerging evidence suggesting that assistance dogs for children with ASD can provide multisensory stimulation, enabling children to better regulate themselves to facilitate learning (Burrows et al, 2008)
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