| Research literature indicates that children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have significant deficits in their ability to communicate, particularly in the area of joint attention which is often characterized as eye-to-eye contact. The problem lies in that joint attention (JA) is difficult to develop in children diagnosed with ASD. Studies on animal assisted therapy (AAT) report positive outcomes related to JA but a gap remains. Few studies attempt to use AAT with the ASD population. The purpose of this study was to test the potential of using a domesticated dog to enhance the occurrence of JA in young children diagnosed with an ASD. This study used two treatment conditions, a toy dog (treatment A) and a real dog (treatment B), to determine whether AAT would improve JA in children diagnosed with ASD, aged 3 to 8 years. Children were randomly assigned to treatment groups. Cross-over repeated-measures designs were used with each group. A 2-factor (1-within, 1-between) ANOVA was used to analyze the results of treatments A and B (independent variables) on JA (dependent variable). Data analysis indicated no significant difference between the presence of a domesticated dog and that of a toy dog to prompt JA from young children diagnosed with an ASD. This research contributes to a better understanding of children diagnosed with ASD and addresses a potential treatment modality that could improve their quality of life and the quality of parent-child interactions. |
