Introduction
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that affects how people communicate and interact with others. Children with ASD may have difficulties in social skills, language, behavior, and sensory processing. These challenges can cause stress and anxiety for both the children and their parents.
One possible way to help children with ASD and their families is to integrate a service dog into their lives. A service dog is a specially trained dog that can assist people with disabilities in various tasks, such as calming them down, alerting them to dangers, or providing emotional support. Previous studies have shown that service dogs can have positive effects on children with ASD, such as reducing their aggression, improving their social skills, and enhancing their quality of life.
However, most of these studies focused on the individual benefits of service dogs for children with ASD, without considering how they affect the family as a whole. Since ASD affects not only the child, but also the parents and the siblings, it is important to adopt a more systemic perspective, and examine how service dogs can influence the family dynamics and well-being.
A Systemic Study on the Effects of Service Dogs
A recent study aimed to do just that. The researchers followed 20 families who had a child with ASD and integrated a service dog into their homes. They measured the changes in the children’s ASD symptoms, the parents’ anxiety and stress levels, the parenting strategies, and the quality of the child-dog relationship, before and after the service dog integration.
The study found that both the children’s ASD symptoms and the parents’ anxiety levels decreased significantly after the service dog integration. Moreover, the study revealed that these benefits were related to each other: the more the ASD symptoms improved, the more the anxiety and stress levels reduced. This suggests that service dogs can have a positive impact on the family microsystem, by alleviating the difficulties and challenges that ASD brings to the children and their parents.
The Role of the Child-Dog Relationship
Another interesting finding of the study was that the quality of the child-dog relationship played a key role in the benefits of service dog integration. The study measured the child-dog relationship using a scale that assessed the attachment, companionship, and communication between the child and the dog. The study found that the higher the quality of the child-dog relationship, the greater the improvements in the ASD symptoms and the parents’ well-being.
The study also found that the quality of the child-dog relationship influenced the parenting strategies that the parents used. The study measured the parenting strategies using a scale that assessed the authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive styles of parenting. The study found that the higher the quality of the child-dog relationship, the more the parents used the authoritative style, which is characterized by warmth, responsiveness, and clear rules. The study also found that the lower the quality of the child-dog relationship, the more the parents used the authoritarian style, which is characterized by harshness, rigidity, and coercion.
These results suggest that the service dog can act as a mediator between the child and the parent, by facilitating the communication and the bonding between them. The service dog can also act as a moderator, by reducing the stress and the conflict that may arise from the ASD symptoms. By doing so, the service dog can help the parents to adopt more effective and adaptive parenting strategies, which can in turn enhance the child’s development and well-being.
Conclusion
The study provides a novel and comprehensive insight into the effects of service dogs on children with ASD and their families. By adopting a more systemic perspective, the study shows that service dogs can have reciprocal and dynamic effects on the family microsystem, by improving the children’s ASD symptoms, the parents’ well-being, the parenting strategies, and the child-dog relationship. The study also sheds new light on the processes that may underlie the effects of service dogs, such as the attachment, companionship, and communication between the child and the dog.
The study has important implications for the field of animal-assisted interventions, as it demonstrates the potential of service dogs to enhance the quality of life of children with ASD and their families. The study also highlights the need for more research on the systemic effects of service dogs, as well as the factors that may influence the quality of the child-dog relationship. By doing so, the study contributes to the advancement of the scientific knowledge and the clinical practice of service dogs for children with ASD.
FAQ
How long does it take to train a service dog for a child with ASD?
The training of a service dog for a child with ASD can take from 18 months to 2 years, depending on the skills and tasks that the dog needs to learn. The training usually involves two phases: the basic obedience and socialization training, and the specialized service training. The basic training teaches the dog how to behave in public and follow commands, while the specialized training teaches the dog how to perform specific tasks that can help the child with ASD, such as tethering, interrupting, or alerting.
What are the criteria for selecting a service dog for a child with ASD?
The criteria for selecting a service dog for a child with ASD may depend on the child’s needs, preferences, and personality, as well as the dog’s temperament, skills, and compatibility. Some factors to consider are the dog’s breed, size, age, gender, health, and training. Generally, service dogs for children with ASD should be calm, friendly, obedient, attentive, and responsive. You can find more information about the criteria for selecting a service dog here and here.
How can I prepare my child with ASD for the service dog integration?
The service dog integration is a process that involves introducing the service dog to the child with ASD and their family, and establishing a bond and a routine between them. The process can take from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the child’s and the dog’s readiness and adjustment. To prepare your child for the service dog integration, you can do the following: explain to them what a service dog is and what it can do for them, show them pictures or videos of the service dog, involve them in the selection and the naming of the service dog, visit the service dog before bringing it home, and follow the instructions and the guidance of the service dog trainer.
How can I support the service dog’s well-being and performance?
The service dog’s well-being and performance are essential for the success of the service dog integration and the benefits for the child with ASD and their family. To support the service dog’s well-being and performance, you can do the following: provide the service dog with adequate food, water, exercise, rest, and veterinary care, respect the service dog’s boundaries and signals, reinforce the service dog’s positive behaviors and skills, avoid distracting or interfering with the service dog’s work or tasks, and acknowledge the service dog’s contribution and value. You can find more advice on how to support the service dog’s well-being and performance here and here.
How can I measure the quality of the child-dog relationship?
The quality of the child-dog relationship can be measured by using a scale that assesses the attachment, companionship, and communication between the child and the dog. The scale can be filled out by the child, the parent, or the trainer, depending on their perspective and involvement. The scale can help you understand how the child and the dog bond and interact with each other, and how they benefit from each other.
What are the benefits of service dogs for siblings of children with ASD?
Siblings of children with ASD may also face challenges and stress, such as feeling neglected, isolated, or resentful. Service dogs can help siblings by providing them with companionship, comfort, and fun. Service dogs can also encourage siblings to interact and play with their brother or sister with ASD, and foster a more positive and harmonious family atmosphere.
What are the challenges of having a service dog for a child with ASD?
Having a service dog for a child with ASD can also pose some difficulties and responsibilities, such as the cost, the care, the training, and the public access. The cost of getting and maintaining a service dog can be high, and may not be covered by insurance or funding. The care of the service dog involves feeding, grooming, exercising, and vet visits. The training of the service dog requires consistency, patience, and reinforcement. The public access of the service dog may encounter legal or social barriers, such as discrimination, ignorance, or harassment.
Source:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295702