Animal-Assisted Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议研究的长期目标是确定人与动物的互动策略，以改善自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童及其典型发育（TD）同龄人的社会和情感发展。这个特殊项目的目标是通过动物辅助干预（AAI）在包容性教室中对动物在学校的治疗性使用进行实证评估。具体目的是研究AAI对ASD儿童及其TD同伴的社会和情感互惠（Aim 1）、社会网络（Aim 2）和应激生理指标（Aim 3）的影响。背景与意义。对于患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童来说，学龄阶段尤其具有挑战性，因为他们在社交和沟通方面存在诊断障碍，这往往会导致同龄人的排斥和伤害。这些消极的同伴关系与心理和生理压力、焦虑以及问题行为有关。在包容性教室中为自闭症儿童开发一种创新而有效的治疗策略是一项重要的研究重点，特别是因为自闭症儿童的主要干预途径之一是通过教育系统。不幸的是，大多数教育机构缺乏时间、人力和资源来有效地帮助自闭症儿童。研究自闭症谱系障碍的理论家和临床实践者提出，在目前的实践中，一个可行的补充可能是在课堂上进行人工智能，这需要最少的动物维护资金，并且可以由非专业志愿者或教师来促进。动物提供了一种独特的、多感官的刺激来吸引孩子的注意力，并为移情的非语言交流提供了机会。动物也可以作为抗焦虑的减压器，这可能有助于在教室里安抚自闭症儿童。最后，在以小组为基础的AAI中，自闭症儿童有机会通过共同的兴趣/活动与同伴建立联系。这项研究的目的是评估课堂上的AAI，这可能为帮助教育机构帮助越来越多的ASD学生提供一种相对简单和经济的方法。设计。参与者包括64名5-12岁的儿童。随机对照设计将用于检查活体动物与电子动物在小群体背景下的影响，每两周进行一次社会技能干预。将采用干预基线（A或B）设计，即每个参与者组（来自同一教室的一名ASD儿童和一名TD同伴）将经历8周的无干预（基线），然后随机分配到：(A)有活体动物的AAI或(B)有电子动物的对照干预。将采用前测、后测设计，参与者将在三个时间点进行评估：(1)基线前，(2)基线后/干预前，(3)干预后。针对每个具体目标的多模式结果评估将包括由盲评者进行的现场和视频记录观察、举报人报告问卷和非侵入性生理评估。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of the proposed research is to identify Human-Animal Interaction strategies to improve the social and emotional development of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their typically developing (TD) peers. The goal of this particular project is to empirically evaluate the therapeutic use of animals in schools through an Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) in inclusion classrooms. The specific aims are to study the effect of AAI on social and emotional reciprocity (Aim 1), social networks (Aim 2), and physiological indicators of stress (Aim 3) in children with ASD and their TD peers. Background and Significance. For children with ASD, the school-age years are particularly challenging because of their diagnostic impairments in social interaction and communication, which often lead to rejection and victimization by peers. These negative peer relationships are associated with psychological and physiological stress and anxiety, and problem behaviors. Developing an innovative and effective therapeutic strategy for children with ASD in inclusion classrooms is an important research priority, particularly since one of the main avenues of intervention for children with ASD is through the education system. Unfortunately, the majority of educational institutions lack the time, manpower and resources to effectively assist children with ASD. Theorists and clinical practitioners who work with ASD have proposed that one viable addition to current practices may be AAI in the classroom, which requires minimal funds for animal maintenance and can be facilitated by a non- specialist volunteer or teacher. Animals provide a unique, multi- sensory stimulus that captures children's attention and provides opportunities for empathic non-verbal communication. Animals also act as anxiolytic stress-reducers, which may help calm children with ASD in the classroom. Finally, in a group-based AAI, children with ASD are provided opportunities for peer bonding over a common interest/activity. The purpose of the proposed study is to assess AAI in the classroom, which may provide a relatively simple and cost-effective means of helping educational institutions to help their growing number of students with ASD. Design. Participants will include 64 children aged 5-12. A randomized-control design will be used to examine the impact of a live animal versus an electronic animal in the context of a small group, bi-weekly social skills intervention. Baseline to Intervention (A or B) design will be used, whereby each participant group (one child with ASD and one TD peer from the same classroom) will experience 8 weeks of no intervention (Baseline) followed by random assignment to either: (A) an AAI with a live animal or (B) a control intervention with an electronic animal. A pre-test, post-test design will be used, whereby participants will be assessed at three time points: (1) pre-baseline, (2) post-baseline/pre-intervention, and (3) post-intervention. Multi-modal assessments of outcomes for each specific aim will include live and video-recorded observation by blind raters, informant- report questionnaires, and non-invasive physiological assessments. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed study will empirically evaluate the therapeutic use of animals in schools for children with autism spectrum disorder and their typically developing peers in inclusion classrooms. By using a classroom- based model, it has the potential to influence the health and development of many children with a small number of resources. It will examine outcomes related to their social and emotional development, including social and emotional reciprocity (Aim 1) social networks (Aim 2), and physiological indicators of stress (Aim 3).