Acceptability and effects of acquiring an assistance or companion dog for families of children on the autism spectrum.

Assistance and companion dogs have numerous positive effects for family of autistic children, such as supporting their rehabilitation and improving their quality of life. To date, very few studies have compared the effects of both types of dogs. This comparison, considering the limited access to assistance dogs, could be helpful for families wanting to adopt a dog. An explanatory sequential design with a mixed-method approach was used. First, 85 parents (nassistance dogs = 57; ncompanion dogs = 28) of children aged between 3 and 17 years old (M = 10.73, SD = 3.67) completed an online questionnaire including sociodemographic questions and the Treatment Acceptability Rating Form-Revised (TARF-R). Then, 17 of these participants (nassistance dogs = 14; ncompanion dogs = 3) completed a semi-structured interview. The quantitative data analyses showed that parents with assistance dogs were significantly more satisfied: t (83) = −2.12, p =.037, d = 0.49. Significant associations between some sociodemographic variables (e.g., number of children, comorbid condition, reasons for acquiring a dog) and acceptability/satisfaction (TARF-R total scores) were found. The qualitative analysis revealed that families with both dog types observed positive effects. In brief, having an assistance dog constitutes a significant added value; nevertheless, both types of dogs are appreciated. Parents of children on the autism spectrum show significantly higher levels of satisfaction with having an assistance dog to assist the rehabilitation of their child on the autism spectrum when compared to a companion dog. Assistance and companion dogs are both perceived as beneficial by parents and as an important source of support for the rehabilitation of children on the autism spectrum and other members of their family. Companion dogs trained specifically to assist the rehabilitation of children on the autism spectrum should be offered to families in the context of limited access to assistance dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]