Occupational Therapy Research Unit in Non-Pharmacological Interventions, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
Child Rehabilitation and Early Care Unit, A Coruña University Hospital Complex, A Coruña, Spain.
Health Soc Care Community. 2020 Jul;28(4):1220-1229. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12955. Epub 2020 Feb 5.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience moderate to profound challenges in relation to the skills required for social participation. Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) is increasingly used within early community care. However, the results of its early application in this population group are not known. This pilot study aimed to explore the feasibility of an early intervention based on the use of therapy dogs and to examine their impact on communication and social interaction skills. A within-subject quasi-experimental longitudinal design was used. The instruments for measuring results were the Assessment of Communication and Interaction Skills (ACIS) and Animal-assisted Therapy Flow Sheet, both based on observation. A total of 19 children with confirmed or probable ASD (with mean age of 46.2 months), cared for in a Spanish therapeutic unit, participated in a median of nine AAI sessions, with a mean duration of 19.9 min per session. The total ACIS score increased significantly between the initial and final assessments of the study, with communication and social interaction skills improving with a large effect size. In the Animal-assisted Therapy Flow Sheet instrument, statistically significant improvements were found in most of the items that evaluate the frequency of child-dog social relationships (look at the dog, touch it, talk to it and get involved in an activity with the animal) and child-therapist relationships (look at the therapist and talk to him/her); the effect sizes ranged from medium to large. In conclusion, the early application of an AAI is feasible and seems to improve communication and social interaction skills, both essential elements for social participation. The results suggest that this intervention may be a beneficial non-pharmacological therapy as a complementary approach within community care for children with ASD in the early years of their life.
患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童在社交参与所需的技能方面存在中度至重度障碍。动物辅助干预（AAI）在早期社区护理中越来越多地被使用。然而，其在该人群中的早期应用的结果尚不清楚。本研究旨在探索基于使用治疗犬的早期干预的可行性，并研究其对沟通和社交互动技能的影响。采用了单组准实验纵向设计。用于测量结果的工具是沟通与互动技能评估（ACIS）和动物辅助治疗流程表，均基于观察。共有 19 名被确诊或可能患有 ASD 的儿童（平均年龄为 46.2 个月），在西班牙的一个治疗单位接受治疗，参与了中位数为 9 次的 AAI 治疗，每次治疗的平均持续时间为 19.9 分钟。ACIS 总分在研究的初始和最终评估之间显著增加，沟通和社交互动技能的改善具有较大的效应量。在动物辅助治疗流程表工具中，评估儿童与犬的社交关系（看狗、摸狗、与狗交谈以及与动物一起参与活动）和儿童与治疗师关系（看治疗师和与他/她交谈）的大多数项目都发现了统计学上的显著改善；效应量从中等到大不等。总之，早期应用 AAI 是可行的，并且似乎可以改善沟通和社交互动技能，这是社交参与的基本要素。结果表明，这种干预可能是一种有益的非药物疗法，可作为 ASD 儿童生命早期社区护理的补充方法。
