Conaill Tiarnán Ó, Whitty Ailbhe, Hollingsworth Simon K, McGee Anna, Rafiq Nazia, Coleman Aaron, Daly Anna, Earley Aaron, Loo Andre, Nizam Aisyah, Trayer James, Stewart Philip, Branagan Aoife, Lally Eoghan, Roche Edna, Meehan Judith, Molloy Eleanor J
Discipline of Paediatrics, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Madra Man, Dog training Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
Pediatr Res. 2025 Jul 30. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-04206-7.
Owning a dog has been associated with improved well-being and this study focused on dog ownership in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), especially in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
This systematic review utilised Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and three databases, EMBASE, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library, to assess dog ownership and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Paper screening and data extraction were performed in duplicate using Covidence. The five domains of neurodevelopment that were reviewed included cognitive, social and emotional, speech and language, fine motor and gross motor developmental outcomes.
There were 451 papers reviewed and 16 were included in the final analysis. Despite heterogeneous reporting methods, the impact of dog ownership on children with ASD was positive across multiple domains of neurodevelopment. Fourteen studies reported improved emotional regulation and social engagement in children with ASD with a dog. Improvements in cognitive, speech and language function were reported in seven studies. Additionally, in six of the studies, a pet dog improved family dynamics and reduced anxiety levels in parents of children with ASD. The most common study design included in the systematic review was cross-sectional studies, labrador-retrievers were the most commonly reported dog breed. Eight studies reported the presence of an additional household pet.
Dog ownership was a feasible non-pharmacological intervention, as part of a global, multi-disciplinary approach for children with NDD. Large prospective cohort studies could investigate the mechanism by which dogs provide positive changes in the life of a child with ASD and long-term outcomes.
This study highlights that dog ownership in children with neurodevelopment disorders is associated with longstanding benefits in neurodevelopmental outcomes and has wider-reaching effects on the child's family. This is the first systematic review examining the effect of dog ownership in this cohort and hopes to progress the field of dog ownership in paediatric neurodevelopmental disorders. The lasting impact dogs have on the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disorders should be viewed as a non-pharmacological adjunct to the holistic care of this patient cohort and highlights the potential for implementation of animal-assisted interventions in future treatment plans.
养狗与幸福感提升有关，本研究聚焦于神经发育障碍（NDD）儿童，尤其是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的养狗情况。
本系统评价采用系统评价与Meta分析方案的首选报告项目（PRISMA-P），并利用三个数据库（EMBASE、MEDLINE和Cochrane图书馆）评估养狗情况和神经发育结局。使用Covidence进行重复的文献筛选和数据提取。所审查的神经发育的五个领域包括认知、社交和情感、言语和语言、精细运动和大运动发育结局。
共审查了451篇论文，最终纳入分析16篇。尽管报告方法存在异质性，但养狗对ASD儿童的影响在多个神经发育领域均为积极。14项研究报告称，养狗的ASD儿童情绪调节和社交参与有所改善。7项研究报告了认知、言语和语言功能的改善。此外，在6项研究中，宠物狗改善了家庭动态，降低了ASD儿童父母的焦虑水平。系统评价中最常见的研究设计是横断面研究，拉布拉多寻回犬是最常报告的犬种。8项研究报告了家庭中还养有其他宠物。
养狗是一种可行的非药物干预措施，可作为针对NDD儿童的全球多学科方法的一部分。大型前瞻性队列研究可以调查狗给ASD儿童生活带来积极变化的机制以及长期结局。
本研究强调，神经发育障碍儿童养狗与神经发育结局的长期益处相关，对儿童家庭有更广泛的影响。这是第一项系统评价养狗对该队列影响的研究，希望推动儿科神经发育障碍领域的养狗研究。狗对神经发育障碍儿童生活的持久影响应被视为该患者群体整体护理的非药物辅助手段，并凸显了在未来治疗计划中实施动物辅助干预的潜力。
