A randomized controlled trial of the effects of dog-assisted versus robot dog-assisted therapy for children with autism or Down syndrome.

This study looked at whether therapy with real dogs works better than therapy with robot dogs for children with autism or Down syndrome. 65 children had five therapy sessions with either a real dog, robot dog, or no therapy. Parents filled out questionnaires about their child's social and emotional skills. Children who had therapy with real dogs got better at understanding emotions and managing their feelings compared to the other groups. However, the benefits seemed to fade over time after therapy ended.

This randomized controlled trial compared dog-assisted therapy with robot dog-assisted therapy and no-treatment control in 65 children aged 7-16 years with autism or Down syndrome. Participants received five therapy sessions, with outcomes measured via parental questionnaires at baseline, post-treatment, and 4-6 week follow-up. Children receiving dog-assisted therapy showed significantly greater improvements in emotional attunement and emotion regulation compared to both control groups. No significant differences were found for social confidence, conversational attunement, social cognition, or social motivation.

Individual-level analysis using Reliable Change Index revealed that the highest improvement rates were predominantly in the dog-assisted therapy group, while the lowest were in the robot-assisted group. Treatment effects were less apparent at follow-up.

Dog-assisted therapy may be beneficial for emotional development in children with autism or Down syndrome, particularly for emotional attunement and regulation. However, effects appear time-limited, suggesting need for ongoing intervention. Individual variation in response indicates importance of personalized treatment approaches. Robot dogs do not appear to provide equivalent therapeutic benefits to real animals.

Small sample size with only 24 participants in dog-assisted therapy group. Treatment effects diminished at follow-up, questioning durability. Study limited to five sessions, which may be insufficient for lasting change. Reliance on parental questionnaires rather than objective measures. Mixed population of autism and Down syndrome may obscure condition-specific effects.

Research with controlled or crossover designs in animal-assisted therapy have largely used control groups receiving no treatment or treatment as usual, which can potentially inflate the effects of these interventions. It is therefore not always clear whether this type of therapy has a positive effect on, for example, the social skills of children with special support needs. To address this, the current study compared children (7-16 years, n = 65) with autism or Down syndrome who received five sessions of dog-assisted therapy (n = 24; 9 female) with an active control group who received five similar sessions of robot dog-assisted therapy (n = 21; 8 female) and a no-treatment control group (n = 20; 8 female). The robot dog was capable of performing autonomous behavior and responding to the child's actions and verbalizations.

Using parental questionnaires, we assessed children's social and emotional skills before and after the therapy sessions or waiting period and included a follow-up measurement after 4-6 weeks. On a group level, multilevel analyses showed that children who received dog-assisted therapy improved significantly more in terms of emotional attunement and emotion regulation than children in the two other conditions. No significant differences were found for social confidence, conversational attunement, social cognition, and social motivation. Change from post-test to follow-up was also less apparent.

Yet, on a more individual level, when looking at the Reliable Change Index (RCI), most of the highest RCIs (within the 90th percentile) were found in the dog-assisted therapy group. In contrast, most of the lowest RCIs (within the 10th percentile) were found in the robot-assisted group. We discuss the pros and cons of a more individualized approach in this field of study and propose a possible alternative by focusing on interaction dynamics.