Canine-Assisted Therapy for Children With ADHD

Abstract

Objective The objective of this study was to provide preliminary findings from an ongoing randomized clinical trial using a canine-assisted intervention (CAI) for 24 children with ADHD. Method Project Positive Assertive Cooperative Kids (P.A.C.K.) was designed to study a 12-week cognitive-behavioral intervention delivered with or without CAI. Children were randomly assigned to group therapy with or without CAI. Parents of children in both groups simultaneously participated in weekly parent group therapy sessions. Results Across both treatment groups, parents reported improvements in children’s social skills, prosocial behaviors, and problematic behaviors. In both groups, the severity of ADHD symptoms declined during the course of treatment; however, children who received the CAI model exhibited greater reductions in the severity of ADHD symptoms than did children who received cognitive-behavioral therapy without CAI. Conclusion Results suggest that CAI offers a novel therapeutic strategy that may enhance cognitive-behavioral interventions for children with ADHD.

Animal-assisted therapies for youth with or at risk for mental health problems: A systematic review

“…Twelve studies (50%) compared the intervention to a comparison condition (Balluerka et al 2014; Bachi et al, 2012; Barker et al, 2015; Conniff et al, 2005; Dietz et al, 2012; Fung & Leung, 2014; Gabriels et al, 2015; Lanning et al, 2014; Martin & Farnum, 2002; Prothmann et al, 2006; Schuck et al, 2015; Trotter et al, 2008), including a substitute object such as a doll (Fung & Leung) or stuffed animal (Martin & Farnum, 2002); a substitute activity (e.g., a barn activity, Gabriels et al, 2015); or a therapeutic intervention without the animal component (e.g., CBT without the canine-assisted intervention, Schuck et al, 2015). The other half of the studies (n=12, 50%) compared the intervention to a control group (Bass et al, 2009; Beetz 2013; Boshoff et al, 2015; Gabriels et al, 2012; Garcia-Gomez et al, 2014; Hamama et al, 2011; Havener et al, 2001; Jenkins et al, 2013; Kern et al, 2011; O’Haire et al, 2015; Pendry et al, 2014; Vagnoli et al, 2015).…”

“…The remaining 11 (46%) studies were randomized controlled trials (Barker et al, 2015; Bass et al, 2009; Boshoff et al, 2015; Conniff et al, 2005; Fung & Leung, 2014; Gabriels et al, 2015; Havener et al, 2001; O’Haire et al, 2015; Pendry et al, 2014; Schuck et al, 2015; Vagnoli et al, 2015); one of these studies utilized a Solomon Four-Group Design (Boshoff et al, 2015) and two stratified groups based upon sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, IQ, diagnosis) prior to randomization (Fung & Leung, 2014; Gabriels et al, 2015). …”

“…Ten interventions (42%) were a combination of children and adolescents (Barker et al, 2015; Dietz et al, 2012; Gabriels et al, 2012, 2015; Garcia-Gomez et al, 2014; Jenkins et al, 2013; Lanning et al, 2014; Martin & Farnum, 2002; Trotter et al, 2008; Pendry et al, 2014), eight (33%) were interventions that included children only (Bass et al, 2009; Beetz, 2013; Fung & Leung, 2014; Havener et al, 2001; Kern et al, 2011; O’Haire et al, 2015; Schuck et al, 2015; Vagnoli et al, 2015), and six interventions (25%) included adolescents only (Balluerka et al 2014; Bachi et al, 2012; Boshoff et al, 2015; Conniff et al, 2005; Prothmann et al, 2006; Hamama et al, 2011). …”

“…Nine (38%) of the interventions were treatments for autism (Bass et al, 2009; Fung & leung, 2014; Gabriels et al, 2012, 2015; Garcia-Gomez et al, 2014; Jenkins et al, 2013; Kern et al, 2011; Lanning et al, 2014; Martin & Farnum, 2002), eight (n=7, 33%) of the interventions were treatments for youth at risk for or with identified emotional and/or behavioral problems (Bachi et al, 2012; Beetz 2013; Boshoff et al, 2015; Conniff et al, 2005; O’Haire et al, 2015; Pendry et al, 2014; Prothmann et al, 2006; Trotter et al, 2008), three (12%) addressed symptoms of trauma and PTSD (Balluerka et al, 2014; Dietz et al, 2012; Hamama et al, 2011), three (12%) were treatments for children at risk for an emotional or behavioral issue due to medical issues such as venipuncture or a dental procedure (Barker et al, 2015; Havener et al, 2001; Vagnoli et al, 2015), and one study by Schuck et al (2015), was for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).…”

“…Eleven (46%) of the 24 studies examined equine therapies (Bachi et al, 2012; Bass et al, 2009; Boshoff et al, 2015; Gabriels et al, 2012, 2015;Garcia-Gomez et al, 2014; Jenkins et al, 2013; Kern et al, 2011; Lanning et al, 2014; Pendry et al, 2014; Trotter et al, 2008); 10 (42%) studied dog therapies (Barker et al, 2015; Beetz 2013; Dietz et al, 2012; Fung & Leung, 2014; Hamama et al, 2011; Havener et al, 2001; Martin & Farnum, 2002; Prothmann et al, 2006; Schuck et al, 2015; Vagnoli et al, 2015), and the remaining three studies (12%) tested interventions that included multiple animals, including horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, other farm animals, and guinea pigs (Balluerka et al, 2014; Conniff et al, 2005; O’Haire et al, 2015). Of the equine therapies, the therapeutic approaches varied, but most used a semi-structured curriculum called Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy, Equine Assisted Counseling, or Equine Facilitated Learning.…”