Departamento de Ciências do Comportamento, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Porto, Portugal.
J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Jul;17(7):655-9. doi: 10.1089/acm.2010.0436. Epub 2011 Jun 20.
Canine-assisted therapy has been receiving growing attention as a means of aiding children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Yet, only limited studies have been done and a great deal of literature related to this intervention is anecdotal. The present study aims at providing additional quantitative evidence on the potential of dogs to positively modulate the behavior of children with ASD.
SETTINGS/LOCATION, SUBJECTS, AND INTERVENTIONS: A 12-year-old boy diagnosed with ASD was exposed, at his usual treatment location (the Portuguese Association for Developmental Disorders and Autism at Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal), to the following treatment conditions: (1) one-to-one structured activities with a therapist assisted by a certified therapy dog, and (2) one-to-one structured activities with the same therapist alone (as a control). To accurately assess differences in the behavior of the participant between these treatment conditions, the therapist followed a strict research protocol. The behavior of the participant was continuously video-recorded during both treatment conditions for further analysis and comparison. Treatment outcomes: In the presence of the dog, the participant exhibited more frequent and longer durations of positive behaviors (such as smiling and positive physical contacting) as well as less frequent and shorter durations of negative behaviors (such as aggressive manifestations).
These findings are in accordance with previous experimental work and provide additional support for the assertion that dogs can prime autistic children for therapy. Ultimately, this study may contribute toward a change for full acceptance of canine-assisted therapy programs within the medical milieu. Additional studies using a similar research protocol on more autistic children will certainly help professionals to work on the most effective methods to individually serve this population through canine-assisted interventions.
犬辅助疗法作为一种辅助自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的方法，越来越受到关注。然而，目前仅有少量研究，且与该干预措施相关的大量文献均为轶事证据。本研究旨在提供更多关于犬类积极调节 ASD 儿童行为的潜在能力的定量证据。
设置/地点、对象和干预措施：一名 12 岁被诊断患有 ASD 的男孩在其常规治疗地点（葡萄牙维拉诺瓦德加亚发育障碍和自闭症协会，葡萄牙）接受以下治疗条件：（1）在认证治疗犬的协助下，由治疗师进行一对一的结构化活动；（2）由同一位治疗师单独进行一对一的结构化活动（作为对照）。为了准确评估参与者在这些治疗条件下的行为差异，治疗师遵循了严格的研究方案。在这两种治疗条件下，参与者的行为均被持续录像，以便进一步分析和比较。治疗结果：在狗的存在下，参与者表现出更频繁和更长时间的积极行为（如微笑和积极的身体接触），以及更不频繁和更短时间的消极行为（如攻击表现）。
这些发现与之前的实验工作一致，为犬类可以为自闭症儿童进行治疗做好准备的说法提供了额外的支持。最终，这项研究可能有助于在医学环境中全面接受犬辅助治疗方案的改变。更多自闭症儿童使用类似研究方案的进一步研究将有助于专业人员研究通过犬辅助干预措施为这一人群提供个性化服务的最有效方法。
