Animal-Assisted Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

自闭症谱系障碍儿童的动物辅助干预

• 批准号: 8207436
• 负责人: Alan M Beck
• 金额: $ 7.5万
• 依托单位: PURDUE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-12-01 至 2013-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8207436
• 关键词: Age; Age-Years; Animals; Anti-Anxiety Agents; Anxiety; Attention; Books; Child; Child Development; Clinical; Communication; Development; Diagnostic; Education; Electronics; Elements; Emotional; Empathy; Friendships; Funding; Goals; Health; Heart Rate; Human; Human Resources; Hydrocortisone; Impairment; Institution; Intervention; Lead; Life; Maintenance; Measures; Modeling; Outcome; Outcome Assessment; Participant; Physiological; Pre-Post Tests; Problem behavior; Questionnaires; Randomized; Reading; Reciprocal Social Interaction; Reporting; Research; Research Priority; Resources; Salivary; School-Age Population; Schools; Social Interaction; Social Network; Specialist; Stress; Students; System; Testing; Therapeutic; Therapeutic Uses; Time; Victimization; Video Recording; Work; aged; approach behavior; autism spectrum disorder; base; blind; cost effective; design; experience; heart rate variability; improved; informant; innovation; interest; peer; peer victimization; post intervention; psychologic; sensory stimulus; social; social communication; social skills; teacher; virtual animals; volunteer

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).

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。该项目的目标是通过动物辅助干预（AAI）在包容性教室中实证评估动物在学校中的治疗用途。具体目标是研究AAI对ASD儿童及其TD同龄人的社会和情感互惠（目标1）、社交网络（目标2）和压力生理指标（目标3）的影响。背景和意义。对于ASD儿童来说，学龄期特别具有挑战性，因为他们在社会互动和沟通方面的诊断障碍，这往往导致同伴的拒绝和受害。这些消极的同伴关系与心理和生理压力和焦虑以及问题行为有关。在包容性教室中为ASD儿童制定创新和有效的治疗策略是一个重要的研究重点，特别是因为ASD儿童干预的主要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。与ASD合作的理论家和临床实践者提出，目前实践的一个可行补充可能是课堂上的AAI，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提供便利。动物提供独特的多感官刺激，吸引儿童的注意力，并提供同理心非语言交流的机会。动物也可以作为抗焦虑的减压剂，这可能有助于在课堂上安抚ASD儿童。最后，在一个以小组为基础的AAI中，ASD儿童有机会在共同的兴趣/活动上建立同伴关系。拟议研究的目的是评估AAI在课堂上，这可能会提供一个相对简单和具有成本效益的方法，帮助教育机构，以帮助他们越来越多的ASD学生。设计参加者将包括64名5-12岁的儿童。将采用随机对照设计，在两周一次的小组社交技能干预背景下，检查活体动物与电子动物的影响。 将使用基线至干预（A或B）设计，其中每个参与者组（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），然后随机分配至：（A）使用活体动物的AAI或（B）使用电子动物的对照干预。将采用预测试、后测试设计，在三个时间点对受试者进行评估：（1）基线前，（2）基线后/干预前，和（3）干预后。对每个特定目标结局的多模式评估将包括盲评者的现场和视频记录观察、知情者报告问卷和无创生理评估。 公共卫生相关性：这项拟议的研究将根据经验评估动物在自闭症谱系障碍儿童学校的治疗用途，以及他们在包容性教室中的典型发展同龄人。通过使用以课堂为基础的模式，它有可能用少量的资源影响许多儿童的健康和发展。它将研究与他们的社会和情感发展有关的结果，包括社会和情感互惠（目标1）社交网络（目标2）和压力的生理指标（目标3）。