Effects of Dog Assisted Therapy for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial

• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-03971-9
• Publication Date: 2019-03-21T08:17:37Z
• Authors: Carolien Wijker; Ruslan Leontjevas; Annelies Spek; Marie-Jose Enders...
• Keywords: Agoraphobia; Animal-Assisted Therapy

Effective treatments of highly prevalent stress-related outcomes such as depression and anxiety are understudied in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A randomized controlled trial baseline, post-intervention, 10-week follow-up, that explores the effects animal assisted therapy (AAT) was conducted. In total, 53 ASD normal to high intelligence were an intervention (N = 27) versus waiting list control group 26). The remarkable adherence program by study participants program's clinically relevant indicate AAT dogs can be used reduce perceived stress symptoms agoraphobia, improve social awareness communication intelligence.