Parental Perceptions of the Nature of the Relationship Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Share with Their Canine Companion

Harwood, Caitlin; Kaczmarek, Elizabeth; Drake, Deirdre

doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3759-7

Cited by 21 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The finding that CAA is perceived positively contributes to existing literature on parental perceptions of AAI (Boyd & Le Roux, 2017 ; Harwood, 2019 ; Malcolm et al, 2018 ; Rabbitt et al, 2014 ). This literature predominantly explores perceptions of equine interventions (Boyd & Le Roux, 2017 ; Malcolm et al, 2018 ; Tan & Simmonds, 2018 ), therefore the present study adds an underrepresented perspective on including dogs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…However, these studies did not examine CAA in schools, nor differentiate between various CAA uses. Similarly, two studies published in 2019 explored parental perceptions of CAA using qualitative methods (Harwood et al, 2019 ; Ward et al, 2019 ). Key findings from both studies included themes of companionship and emotional well-being (Harwood et al, 2019 ; Ward et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, two studies published in 2019 explored parental perceptions of CAA using qualitative methods (Harwood et al, 2019 ; Ward et al, 2019 ). Key findings from both studies included themes of companionship and emotional well-being (Harwood et al, 2019 ; Ward et al, 2019 ). However, they too did not examine CAA in schools or differentiate between uses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dogs at school: a quantitative analysis of parental perceptions of canine-assisted activities in schools mediated by child anxiety score and use case

Fynn

Runacres

2022

ICEP

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Canine-assisted activities in schools can benefit students’ educational, emotional, and social needs. Furthermore, they could be an effective form of non-clinical mental health treatment for children and adolescents. In the United Kingdom, school dogs are growing in popularity, however, little is known about how parents perceive canine-assisted activities as a treatment option. This is important as parental perceptions can influence engagement, whilst lack of awareness can become a barrier to treatment. This study uses a cross-sectional design to quantitatively explore the acceptability of canine-assisted activities amongst UK-based parents (n = 318) of children aged six to 16 (M = 10.12, SD = 3.22). An online survey used a treatment evaluation to determine acceptability across three use-cases. These included a child reading to dogs to improve literacy skills, a child interacting one-to-one to foster greater self-esteem and social skills, and a classroom dog to improve student behaviour and motivation. Additionally, the scale for generalised anxiety disorder was used to rank child anxiety as high or low, where high was a score equal to or above the UK clinical borderline threshold. The results found canine-assisted activities were less acceptable for the behavioural than the reading and social use-cases. Furthermore, parents of children with high anxiety had higher acceptability scores than parents of children with low anxiety for the reading and social use-cases but not for the behavioural use case. These findings suggest that UK parents' acceptability of canine-assisted activities in schools is mediated by child anxiety score. Furthermore, that parents may be less aware of the benefits of classroom dogs than other types of school-based canine-assisted activities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dogs at school: a quantitative analysis of parental perceptions of canine-assisted activities in schools mediated by child anxiety score and use case

Fynn

Runacres

2022

ICEP

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“…Although AAIs may benefit a range of populations, it is important that future research explores the value of AAIs to specific populations, both to move the field forward, and to support the appropriate application of AAIs in therapeutic and educational contexts (Maujean et al, 2015). Some research has explored the benefits associated with exposure to animals for those living with ASD and/or ADHD (Bass et al, 2009;Dilts et al, 2011;Harris et al, 2017;Harwood et al, 2019). However, the evidence largely relies on data collected from parents and professionals who have observed behaviours throughout a young person's exposure to intervention animals (O'Haire, 2013), meaning the views of young people with ASD and/or ADHD are not yet understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some research has explored the benefits associated with exposure to animals for those living with ASD and/or ADHD (Bass et al ., 2009; Dilts et al ., 2011; Harris et al ., 2017; Harwood et al ., 2019). However, the evidence largely relies on data collected from parents and professionals who have observed behaviours throughout a young person's exposure to intervention animals (O'Haire, 2013), meaning the views of young people with ASD and/or ADHD are not yet understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaging with animal‐assisted interventions (AAIs): exploring the experiences of young people with ASD/ADHD diagnoses

Chadwick¹,

Edmondson²,

McDonald³

2022

Support for Learning

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Animal-assisted Interventions (AAIs) have been used as therapeutic interventions aimed at improving psychological well-being, often for young people with mental health and educational difficulties. This qualitative study explored how three students (male and female), aged 12-15 and with ASD and/or ADHD diagnoses experienced AAI at an alternative education provision. Semi-structured interviews with each participant were conducted and analysed using constructivist thematic analysis. Three themes and four sub-themes were identified. The themes were: (1) Self-esteem, with sub-themes motivation and reward, and self-awareness, (2) Emotional benefits with strategy building, and support and (3) Identification. Participants valued AAI as a positive intervention which aided their psychological well-being. Findings emphasise the effectiveness of AAIs for young people with neurodevelopmental disorders in both a therapeutic and an educational context.

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Exploring Human–Companion Animal Interaction in Families of Children with Autism

Carlisle

Johnson

Wang

et al. 2020

J Autism Dev Disord

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Parental Perceptions of the Nature of the Relationship Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Share with Their Canine Companion

Cited by 21 publications

References 54 publications

Dogs at school: a quantitative analysis of parental perceptions of canine-assisted activities in schools mediated by child anxiety score and use case

Dogs at school: a quantitative analysis of parental perceptions of canine-assisted activities in schools mediated by child anxiety score and use case

Engaging with animal‐assisted interventions (AAIs): exploring the experiences of young people with ASD/ADHD diagnoses

Exploring Human–Companion Animal Interaction in Families of Children with Autism

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