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. 2020 Jul;53(3):1419-1431.
doi: 10.1002/jaba.668. Epub 2019 Dec 19.

Evaluating preference for and reinforcing efficacy of a therapy dog to increase verbal statements

Courtney D Jorgenson  1 , Casey J Clay  2 , SungWoo Kahng  3
Affiliations

Evaluating preference for and reinforcing efficacy of a therapy dog to increase verbal statements

Courtney D Jorgenson et al. J Appl Behav Anal. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate preference for and reinforcing efficacy of a therapy dog to increase verbal statements across different contingencies. Five children with autism spectrum disorder ages 3-8 years participated. Alternating treatments and reversal designs were used to compare conditions in which (a) a therapy dog was not present, (b) access to a therapy dog was noncontingent, (c) access to a therapy dog was contingent on interacting with a therapist, and (d) access to another preferred item was contingent on interacting with a therapist. Results varied across participants. Noncontingent access to the therapy dog slightly increased verbal statements for 1 participant. Contingent access to the therapy dog increased social interactions for 2 participants; however, this was the most effective intervention for only 1 participant. Practitioners should be aware that some clients may be better suited for interventions including therapy dogs than others.

Keywords: animal-assisted intervention; autism; reinforcement; social skills.

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References

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