{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,8]],"date-time":"2026-02-08T06:07:33Z","timestamp":1770530853779,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,23]],"date-time":"2024-12-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1734912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study investigated the impact of dog training intervention (DTI) on verbal, non-verbal, and maladaptive behaviors in autistic preschoolers. Previous research has demonstrated the benefits of animal-assisted interventions, but this study specifically focused on changes during the DTI.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We analyzed video recordings of 37 autistic children (mean age 4:7\u202fyears, SD\u202f=\u202f1:1) from special education preschools, comparing their behaviors during the initial and final intervention sessions. The intervention, consisting of 17 structured stages, progressively introduced the children to dog interactions, ultimately allowing them to act as dog trainers. Behavioral analysis was divided into two main areas: responses to the therapist\u2019s instructions and self-initiated behaviors observed in interactions with the therapist and the dog.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Post-intervention results indicated a notable increase in non-verbal communication, with more sustained self-initiated eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions and increased verbal commands directed toward the dog. Improvements were also seen in therapist-prompted gestures and joint attention, and question-answer interactions with the therapist. However, a decrease was observed in self-initiated eye contact, duration of eye contact, and verbal sharing with the therapist. Maladaptive behaviors, such as inappropriate physical contact and repetitive movements, decreased. The study found a moderate negative correlation between autism severity and responsiveness to therapist instructions and a moderate positive correlation between IQ and improvements in therapist responsiveness.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>These findings support the growing evidence for the efficacy of dog-assisted interventions and emphasize the importance of tailoring interventions to individual child characteristics.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1496915","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,23]],"date-time":"2024-12-23T10:55:58Z","timestamp":1734951358000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Enhancing social communication behaviors in children with autism: the impact of dog training intervention on verbal and non-verbal behaviors"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Yaara","family":"Polak-Passy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Esther","family":"Ben-Itzchak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ditza A.","family":"Zachor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders","year":"2013"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1220","DOI":"10.1111\/hsc.12955","article-title":"Improving social participation of children with autism spectrum disorder: pilot testing of an early animal- assisted intervention in Spain","volume":"28","author":"\u00c1vila-\u00c1lvarez","year":"2020","journal-title":"Health Soc. Care Commun."},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"647608","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2021.647608","article-title":"The relationship between pet ownership, autism traits, and social engagement in adults with autism spectrum disorder","volume":"8","author":"Barcelos","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Vet. Sci."},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2221","DOI":"10.1007\/s10803-014-2091-0","article-title":"Cognitive ability is associated with different outcome trajectories in autism spectrum disorders","volume":"44","author":"Ben-Itzchak","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Autism Dev. Disord."},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"345","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rasd.2010.04.018","article-title":"Who benefits from early intervention in autism spectrum disorder?","volume":"5","author":"Ben-Itzchak","year":"2011","journal-title":"Res. Autism Spectr. Disord."},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1682","DOI":"10.1177\/13623613211000501","article-title":"Dog training intervention improves adaptive social communication skills in young children with autism spectrum disorder: a controlled crossover study","volume":"25","author":"Ben-Itzchak","year":"2021","journal-title":"Autism"},{"key":"ref7","volume-title":"Social responsiveness scale, second edition (SRS-2)","author":"Constantino","year":"2012"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e17","DOI":"10.1542\/peds.2009-0958","article-title":"Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: the early start Denver model","volume":"125","author":"Dawson","year":"2010","journal-title":"Am. Acad. Pediatr."},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.1007\/s10879-014-9274-z","article-title":"Pilot study investigating the role of therapy dogs in facilitating social interaction among children with autism","volume":"44","author":"Fung","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Contemp. Psychother."},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1740","DOI":"10.1177\/1362361319827411","article-title":"Animal-assisted activity improves social behaviors in psychiatrically hospitalized youth with autism","volume":"23","author":"Germone","year":"2019","journal-title":"Autism"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"538","DOI":"10.1177\/1362361315593536","article-title":"Joint attention revisited: finding strengths among children with autism","volume":"20","author":"Hurwitz","year":"2016","journal-title":"Autism"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1111\/1460-6984.12180","article-title":"Gesture development in toddlers with an older sibling with autism","volume":"51","author":"LeBarton","year":"2016","journal-title":"Int. J. Lang. Commun. Disord."},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"657","DOI":"10.1177\/019394502320555403","article-title":"Animal-assisted therapy for children with pervasive developmental disorders","volume":"24","author":"Martin","year":"2002","journal-title":"West. J. Nurs. Res."},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"255","DOI":"10.1007\/s40489-021-00291-6","article-title":"Animal-assisted interventions for autism Spectrum disorder: a systematic review of the literature from 2016 to 2020","volume":"10","author":"Nieforth","year":"2023","journal-title":"Rev. J. Autism Dev. Disord."},{"key":"ref9002","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1606","DOI":"10.1007\/s10803-012-1707-5","article-title":"Animal-assisted intervention for autism spectrum disorder: A systematic literature review","volume":"43","author":"O\u2019Haire","year":"2013","journal-title":"Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"200","DOI":"10.1080\/10888691.2016.1243988","article-title":"Research on animal-assisted intervention and autism spectrum disorder, 2012-2015","volume":"21","author":"O\u2019Haire","year":"2017","journal-title":"Appl. Dev. Sci."},{"key":"ref9001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e57010","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0057010","article-title":"Social behaviors increase in children with autism in the presence of animals compared to toys","volume":"8","author":"O\u2019Haire","year":"2013","journal-title":"PloS one"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"461","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02212943","article-title":"Brief report: pet-facilitated therapy with autistic children","volume":"19","author":"Redefer","year":"1989","journal-title":"J. Autism Dev. Disord."},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101719","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ctcp.2022.101719","article-title":"The effectiveness of animal-assisted therapy for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review","volume":"50","author":"Rehn","year":"2023","journal-title":"Complement. Ther. Clin. Pract."},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"268","DOI":"10.5014\/ajot.60.3.268","article-title":"Occupational therapy incorporating animals for children with autism: a pilot investigation","volume":"60","author":"Sams","year":"2006","journal-title":"Am. J. Occup. Ther."},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"655","DOI":"10.1089\/acm.2010.0436","article-title":"Can dogs prime autistic children for therapy? Evidence from a single case study","volume":"17","author":"Silva","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Altern. Complement. Med."},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"238","DOI":"10.1089\/acm.2017.0254","article-title":"Can dogs assist children with severe autism spectrum disorder in complying with challenging demands? An exploratory experiment with a live and a robotic dog","volume":"24","author":"Silva","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Altern. Complement. Med."},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"605","DOI":"10.1016\/s0887-6185(02)00236-0","article-title":"Psychometric properties of the Spence children's anxiety scale with young adolescents","volume":"17","author":"Spence","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Anxiety Disord."},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1293","DOI":"10.1016\/S0005-7967(00)00098-X","article-title":"The structure of anxiety symptoms among preschoolers","volume":"39","author":"Spence","year":"2001","journal-title":"Behav. Res. Ther."},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"23969415211035065","DOI":"10.1177\/23969415211035065","article-title":"How do minimally verbal children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder use communicative gestures to complement their spoken language abilities?","volume":"6","author":"Valle","year":"2021","journal-title":"Autism Dev. Lang. Impair."},{"key":"ref24","volume-title":"Wechsler preschool and primary scale of intelligence-revised","author":"Wechsler","year":"1989"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"23655","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-02969-7","article-title":"Understanding the impact of dog ownership on autistic adults: implications for mental health and suicide prevention","volume":"11","author":"Wright","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Psychology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1496915\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,23]],"date-time":"2024-12-23T10:56:01Z","timestamp":1734951361000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1496915\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,23]]},"references-count":27,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1496915"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1496915","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-1078"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-1078","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,23]]},"article-number":"1496915"}}