Can Therapy Dogs Help Autistic Children Communicate?

A Small Study Suggests Maybe

A small 2014 study published in the Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy explored whether therapy dogs could help autistic children with social interaction. Here's what parents should know about the findings.

What the Study Found

Researchers worked with 10 autistic children ages 7-10. Half participated in play therapy sessions with a real therapy dog, while the other half used a doll instead. According to the study, the children working with real dogs showed increased verbal social behavior during their sessions.

While the improvement wasn't dramatically better than the doll group, the researchers suggest therapy dogs may act as "Speech Elicitors" - meaning they might help draw out verbal communication from some autistic children.

Why This Matters for Autism Families

Many autistic children struggle with verbal communication. If animals can create a comfortable environment that encourages speech, it could open new therapy possibilities. However, this was a very small study, so we can't draw firm conclusions yet.

Practical Takeaways

If your child enjoys animals:

• Consider exploring animal-assisted therapy options in your area
• Notice if your child seems more verbal around pets
• Talk to therapists about incorporating animals into sessions

Remember this was just a pilot study with only 10 children. More research is needed to understand how effective therapy dogs might be for different autistic individuals.

You can read the original study here: Pilot Study Investigating the Role of Therapy Dogs in Facilitating Social Interaction among Children with Autism (Published July 8, 2014)