Effects of Therapy Dogs on Social Behavior in Group Social Skills Instruction With Children With Autism

Summary

Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) can increase social behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), although the mechanism by which this occurs remains elusive. The central goal of this project is to identify the mechanisms involved in the social-enhancing effect of dogs on children with ASD. The investigators will incorporate therapy dogs into an established evidence-based, group social skills instruction program for children with ASD, using a controlled experimental design with between- and within- subject comparisons and physiological and behavioral outcome measures. The investigators predict therapy dogs to have a specific and measurable effect on children's social behavior and that this effect is gained through identifiable mechanisms. Specifically, the investigators hypothesize that (1) an integration of therapy dogs into group social skills instruction will result in reduced stress and improved social behavior compare to traditional group instruction; (2) repeated exposure to the therapy dog across sessions will increase a child's preference for spending time with the dog and will increase the social-enhancing effects of the dog; and (3) that the therapists will experience less stress, engage in more social and affiliative behavior towards the children, and deliver higher quality instruction during sessions that include dogs. The investigators will enroll 72 children with ASD into group social skills instruction classes taught by 6 therapists. Each child will experience a 10-week, 8-student class in which either (a) the first 5 weeks will involve a therapy dog, (b) the last 5 weeks will involve the therapy dog, or (c) the class will not involve a therapy dog. The therapists will teach the courses repeatedly across the three cycles of the program with different children, rotating through each condition. Social behavior, stress behavior, heart rate, electrodermal activity, and salivary cortisol concentrations of children and therapists will be assessed and compared across conditions. The direction of the children's social behavior towards the dog and peers and the changes in quality of instruction of therapists during dog sessions compared to no-dog sessions will also be assessed. The outcomes of this research will lead to significant enhancements in current interventions for individuals with ASD.

Conditions

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Social Skills

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Animal-assisted intervention

The therapy dog is present during the session.

BEHAVIORAL

Social skills group

The group program is 10 weeks in duration, with 1-hour long sessions once per week. Children will be taught new social skills each week using an established teaching interaction procedure, in which the therapist first describes the target skill, provides a rational and context for the behavior, divides the skill into smaller steps, demonstrates the behavior, and has each learner role-play the skill while providing feedback in the form of praise and tokens and corrective instruction. The last week involves a probe "free-play" session, in which children are assessed in a more naturalistic environment without any corrective feedback from therapists.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

  collaborator NIH

• Texas Tech University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Wesley H Dotson, PhD, BCBA-D · Texas Tech University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

11 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-05-15

Primary Completion

2020-12-31

Completion

2021-04-26

Countries

• United States

Study Locations