Dear Ms. Kennouche,
We at the Association for Science in Autism Treatment are writing in response to your January 2016 article highlighting a program for children with autism – Dog Agility Therapy Autism (DATA) – in which children are offered the opportunity to “learn basic dog-training tricks in a relaxing atmosphere.” This is a moving story and we agree that dogs can be very social and loving pets. Dogs may also, by virtue of their traits, provide wonderful engagement opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
You write that a positive aspect of this program is that dogs can offer both companionship and provide therapeutic benefits for children with autism. We agree on the importance of children engaging in activities where they find enjoyment and can learn new skills, and we applaud you for providing those activities. However, in the absence of published peer-reviewed research, we believe it is imprudent to make bold claims about this program as having “therapeutic benefits.”
Blair Cochrane, DATA’s organizer, states that the program is helping reduce the “sensory chaos” that an individual with autism may experience in day-to-day life. You also mention, “…evidence has shown that specially trained dogs can help reduce the sensory chaos experienced by those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.” Given that there is no objective evidence referenced to indicate that this is indeed the case, claims like this should be made with great caution and bring up several questions.
- What is meant by the term “sensory chaos,” and how is this term defined? The ability to define “sensory chaos” is important in order to successfully measure whether or not it is, in fact, decreasing.
- Are any supposed benefits a direct result of the dogs, or from the training experience? If we are going to move forward in our understanding of the potential benefits of animal-assisted therapy, then these details really matter.
Charlene Tait, director of development at Scottish Autism, is referenced as saying that “dogs can help lower the stress levels of children who suffer from autism.” The stress reduction an individual may experience as a result of the companionship of an animal would need to have demonstrated lasting effects outside of the session setting in order to be deemed “therapeutic.” In other words, are the benefits enduring and not just limited to interactions in the presence of the dog? Additionally, it is never mentioned whether dogs are capable of lowering stress levels specifically in individuals with autism or individuals in general. Dogs’ stress-reducing capabilities would need to be specific to individuals with autism in order for their companionship to be deemed an autism-specific therapeutic tool.
While we agree that the companionship of dogs can be pleasant for many individuals, we believe that it is important for media professionals to utilize caution when using the term “therapy.” Instead, programs such as these may be better described as a reinforcing, extracurricular activity established for children with autism. While some individuals may benefit from such a program on a case-by-case basis, the evidence behind the program’s ability to improve autism-related deficits is lacking. Research on the effects of dog training and companionship is very much needed before the care and training of animals may be regarded as an intervention to improve the deficits of any particular disability.
The one study cited in your article, from the University of Aberdeen, theorizes that “drama-type activities” may be used to teach empathy and various social actions to individuals with autism. It is too soon, however, to generalize the possibility that drama may be used as a teaching tool to the topic at-hand, animal-assisted therapy. In addition, the connection between the two activities is minimal at best, but the mention in your article may give the reader a false sense of relevance.
Please know that there are over 400 marketed “treatments” for autism, and many families spend thousands and thousands of dollars on so-called “therapies.” We can assure you that touching stories can be found for almost all of these interventions. However, what is most needed is a shared commitment to science to document gains, and great care and caution when describing the benefits of one’s intervention.
Alice Bravo, MEd, RBT and David Celiberti, PhD, BCBA-D
Association for Science in Autism Treatment
