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Changes in behavioural synchrony during dog‐assisted therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder and children with Down syndrome
Author(s) -
Griffioen Richard Eric,
Steen Steffie,
Verheggen Theo,
EndersSlegers MarieJose,
Cox Ralf
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12682
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , psychology , autism , down syndrome , typically developing , audiology , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , psychiatry
Background Dog‐assisted therapy (DAT) is hypothesized to help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Down syndrome (DS). Methods The present authors compared synchronous movement patterns of these children ( n = 10) and their therapy dogs during the first and last session of a DAT programme, and their post‐therapy changes in emotional and behavioural problems. Results The present authors found a significant increase in synchrony between child and therapy dog over time. Exploratory analyses suggest more synchrony between children with ASD and their therapy dogs, compared to the children with DS. Conclusions This study is the first to test the synchrony hypothesis, shedding light upon a mechanism that may underlie the effect of DAT and how this may be different for children with ASD and DS.