Adding therapy dogs to a group program to help children with autism manage strong emotions
Evaluating additive effects of including canines in Regulating Together: A Group Treatment to Address Emotion Dysregulation in youth with autism spectrum disorder
This project adds trained therapy dogs to a group behavioral program to help children with autism who have trouble managing emotions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11170730 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You and your child would join Regulating Together, a group program that teaches emotion-regulation skills using cognitive behavioral techniques, parent training, and mindfulness. Some groups will include trained therapy dogs during sessions while others will run without animals, and parents attend a concurrent group. Researchers will collect measures of emotional reactivity, engagement, heart rate variability, behavior, and quality of life before the program, after the program, and at follow-up. The study is designed to find out whether having dogs in sessions helps children learn skills more quickly and feel better sooner.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children with autism spectrum disorder (approximately ages 0–11 per the project keywords) who struggle with emotion dysregulation and whose caregivers can attend concurrent parent group sessions are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children without ASD, those who are afraid of or allergic to dogs, or families unable to attend in-person group sessions are unlikely to benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce emotional outbursts, improve mood and coping skills, and increase engagement in therapy for children with autism.
How similar studies have performed: Previous small studies show that the Regulating Together program and animal-assisted interventions each have promising preliminary benefits for emotion and engagement, but combining them is a new approach.
Where this research is happening
Cincinnati, United States
- Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr — Cincinnati, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shaffer, Rebecca — Cincinnati Childrens Hosp Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Shaffer, Rebecca
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.