Dog training intervention improves adaptive social communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder: A controlled crossover study.
Twice-weekly student-led dog-training sessions lifted social-communication skills in preschoolers with autism and the progress stuck.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ben-Itzchak et al. (2021) added dog-training lessons to a special-ed preschool class.
Each child spent two short sessions a week teaching simple cues to a friendly dog.
The team then compared social-communication scores during dog weeks and regular weeks.
What they found
Kids talked, gestured, and played with peers more when the dog was part of class.
The gains stayed even after the dog weeks ended.
How this fits with other research
Polak-Passy et al. (2024) ran a similar dog-training program and also saw better non-verbal social bids.
Their data showed a drop in some self-started eye contact, while Esther’s study found broad gains. The difference is design: Polak-Passy had no control phase, so day-to-day noise may have hidden some positives.
Ávila-Álvarez et al. (2022) tested a toddler canine program and found large social boosts, showing the idea works even younger.
Dudley et al. (2019) reviewed school social-skills trials and warned most are run by researchers, not teachers. Esther’s crossover used classroom staff, matching that call for built-in delivery.
Why it matters
You can weave dog training into your current classroom schedule without extra staff. Start with two 20-minute periods a week where students give simple commands and praise. Track social initiations before and after each session; if you see the same uptick, you have an easy, low-cost boost that keeps working when the dog goes home.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
There is some evidence that using therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder generally results in improved social communication skills and reduced behavioral problems. However, well-controlled studies that examine its effectiveness are scarce. This study examined the effectiveness of a "Dog Training Intervention." The study included 73 participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (61 males, 12 females) with age range of 2:10-7:6 years (M = 4:10 ± 1:0) who attend autism spectrum disorder-specific special education schools. The study population was divided into two groups. Each group received the dog training intervention during one part of the school year (first half or second half) in addition to the standard interventions provided by the special education school settings. The dog training intervention was given twice weekly for 4 months within the school setting. The group that received the dog training intervention first showed a significant increase in adaptive social and communication skills in comparison to the second group that did not receive the intervention in this period. This improvement was maintained after the dog training intervention. The second group, which received intervention at the second half of the year, showed improvement in communication and socialization adaptive skills only during the period in which they received the dog training intervention. The positive impact on social communication adaptive skills of the dog training intervention among young children with autism spectrum disorder suggests that dogs may serve as an effective model for establishing social interaction. Dog training intervention appears to be an effective adjunct treatment to the interventions provided in special education schools for young children with autism spectrum disorder.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2021 · doi:10.1177/13623613211000501