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Animal-Assisted Interventions for School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.

作者:Dimolareva Mirena

关键词:animal-assisted interventions; autism; children; school-age

发表时间:2020

发表期刊: Journal of autism and developmental disorders.

证据类型:系统评价/Meta分析

Research has indicated beneficial effects of Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAIs) for children with Autism. However, there is a dearth of meta-analyses and findings are often contradictory. The current meta-analysis assesses the effectiveness of AAIs on social interaction, communication and global Autism symptoms. A total of 1447 studies were returned, of which 16 (n = 489) met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analyses indicated small effect sizes related to improvements in social interaction and communication and reduction in Autism Spectrum Disorder symptoms. Additionally, there was little evidence for a relationship between dosage and effect size. In conclusion, AAIs appear to offer small improvements in social interaction and communication for children with Autism, which may be comparable to activities used in active control conditions.