Exploring the Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) for Children with ASD Across Countries: A Systematic Review.
Across 97 studies, dogs and horses help kids with autism most often at home or riding centers, but culture shapes what families will accept.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Chan et al. (2025) looked at 97 studies about kids with autism and animals. They pulled papers from many countries to see where and how dogs and horses are used.
The team counted settings, cultures, and animals but did not run new experiments. They wanted a world map of dog- and horse-based help for autistic children.
What they found
Dogs and horses are the top choices in most places. Homes and riding centers are the usual spots, not clinics.
How families use the animals changes with culture. Some countries ride weekly, others keep dogs inside all day.
How this fits with other research
Hill et al. (2020) tested canine-assisted OT in a small RCT and saw tiny, non-significant gains. Wo’s big picture shows many such dog studies exist, so the weak stats in Jessica’s trial may reflect small samples, not useless dogs.
Danitz et al. (2014) and Cramm et al. (2009) both found clear social or behavior gains from therapeutic riding. Wo includes these horse papers and many like them, confirming that riding is one of the strongest HAI tracks.
Shorey et al. (2020) showed Asian caregivers need culture-shaped support. Wo agrees: culture decides whether parents accept dogs in homes or prefer stable riding programs. The papers match on the need to fit services to local values.
Why it matters
If you plan to add a dog or horse program, first ask where the family lives and what they believe. Pick homes or riding centers to match local norms. Start with horses if the goal is social gain—evidence is strongest there. Always check cultural comfort before placing an animal in the home.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) has been widely adopted as an approach to enhance the well-being of children with ASD, who often experience significant social impairments, emotional dysregulation, and other daily challenges. Given the potential variation of HAI across countries, there is a particular need to explore this phenomenon within different cultural contexts and to illuminate directions for facilitating positive HAI among children with ASD. The purpose of this review is to systematically synthesize the current knowledge of HAI as applied to children with ASD and to discuss possible variations across different cultural contexts. A systematic database search was conducted to synthesize HAI characteristics from existing studies that met the selection criteria. The results highlighted that most of the selected studies (N = 97) were conducted in Europe or the United States. The most common format of HAI identified was animal-assisted intervention, followed by pet ownership. Dogs and horses were the primary animals involved in HAI for children with ASD, while the majority of HAI occurred in home settings and at horse riding or training centres. To conclude, this review provides a more comprehensive lens for understanding the phenomenon of HAI for children with ASD across different countries and discusses cultural variations in terms of the companion animals involved, the formats, and the settings of HAI. It also offers therapeutic insights into the multicultural aspects of HAI, which may shed light on future interventions for children with ASD through HAI in more diverse settings.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.3390/jcm10081726