The social skills and attachment to dogs of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Loukus (2015) asked parents of kids with autism to fill out two short surveys. One measured the child’s social skills. The other measured how attached the child was to the family pet.

About half of the families owned a dog. The rest owned a different pet or no pet. The team then compared social-skill scores across the three groups.

Children with dogs scored slightly higher on the social-skills total. The biggest gap showed up in ‘assertion’—things like asking for help or starting a talk.

Parents also reported very strong bonds between their child and the dog. Kids with other pets or no pets did not show the same boost.

Vidal et al. (2024) ran a true experiment. They gave kids with FASD either dog-assisted therapy or simple relaxation. The dog group made medium-sized gains in social skills. That trial backs up the small survey effect seen here.

Payne et al. (2020) surveyed the same autism population four years later. They found that parents who saw pets as helpful felt less stress. Together the two studies paint a fuller picture: dogs may lift both child skills and caregiver well-being.

Chan et al. (2021) pooled twelve controlled studies of exercise programs. They also found small-to-moderate social gains for autistic youth. Pet dogs and structured workouts are very different routes, yet both produce similar-sized payoffs.

You can add a quick pet question to your intake form. If the family already has a dog, weave the animal into social goals. For example, have the child practice greetings by letting the dog outside or asking a peer to throw a ball. No dog? Pair the child with a therapy dog team once a week, or start a simple exercise club—both paths show evidence of modest social gains.