ASD abd Dogs
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Man’s best friend: What is the difference in family functioning, parent-child relationship and child social communication of having a dog in a family with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): A control comparison study to families with ASD children who are seeking a pet dog but do not currently have one.
IRAS ID
251276
Contact name
Lianne White
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences of Edinburgh
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 0 days
Research summary
There is little research on the impact pet dogs have on families with children who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Research from studies of children without ASD and their parents have shown that pet dogs influence children’s social, emotional, and cognitive (thinking) development. The current study aims to increase understanding in the area of the impact of pet dogs on families with children who have ASD. The proposed study will aim to compare families of children with ASD who have pet dogs with families with children who have ASD but who do not have a pet dog at home using a mixed methods design. The study will involve both children with ASD and their parents completing short questionnaires (analysis will consist of t-tests and if sufficient data is collected a regression) and focus group interviews (analysis will consist of thematic analysis). Participants will be recruited from and data will be collected from venues familiar to the participants e.g. CAMHS clinics/ASD support services. ASD specific support agencies including the National Autism Society (NAS) will be contacted to request recruitment from their client base also. By collecting various forms of information from both the children and their parents, the research will provide an in-depth analysis of the impact pet dogs have on families with children who have a diagnosis of ASD.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0831
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jun 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion