‘Having the dog as part of our family gives us hope’: Experiences of the impact of assistance dogs on the occupational engagement of children with autism and their families

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q2 REHABILITATION

Australian Occupational Therapy Journal Pub Date : 2023-09-28 DOI:10.1111/1440-1630.12904

Zoe Agnew, Libby Callaway, Aislinn Lalor, Annette Peart, Em Bould

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Autism is a developmental disorder characterised by changes in social, communication, and behavioural performance. Assistance dogs can support children with autism to engage in everyday occupations. Despite more children being partnered with assistance dogs, there is limited research regarding the impact of assistance dogs on the occupational engagement of children with autism and their families, and further research is needed to fully understand the impact of this type of support within the Australian context.

Objectives

To explore caregiver-reported experiences of an assistance dog on the occupational engagement of children with autism and their families.

Method

Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with six caregivers of seven children with autism, who each had an assistance dog. Interviews ranged from 45 to 60 minutes in duration. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Trustworthiness was maximised through independent recruitment, research team discussions, member checking, and a researcher reflective journal.

Findings

Three themes were identified: participation in everyday occupations prior to and after partnering with an assistance dog, increased engagement in everyday occupations, and impact of the assistance dog on the family unit. Assistance dogs were reported to progress children from community ‘isolation’ to ‘freedom’. Participants reported the dog increased children's capacities through positively influencing completion of routines, increasing independence, and improving therapy engagement. Assistance dogs were viewed as supporting the whole family's occupational engagement. Some challenges were identified with the introduction of the assistance dog to the family unit, and with animal maintenance costs and time demands, public access rights, and limited government funding.

Conclusion

This research identifies benefits and challenges for children who partner with autism assistance dogs. It provides insights to inform assistance animal referral, assessment, and support of assistance dogs in Australia for children with autism and occupational therapists working with them.

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“让狗成为我们家庭的一部分给了我们希望”：援助犬对自闭症儿童及其家人的职业参与影响的经验。

背景：自闭症是一种发育障碍，其特征是社交、沟通和行为表现的变化。援助犬可以帮助自闭症儿童从事日常工作。尽管越来越多的儿童与援助犬合作，但关于援助犬对自闭症儿童及其家庭职业参与的影响的研究有限，需要进一步的研究来充分了解澳大利亚背景下这种支持的影响。目的：探讨照顾者报告的援助犬在自闭症儿童及其家庭的职业参与方面的经验。方法：采用定性方法，对七名自闭症儿童的六名看护人进行半结构化访谈，每个看护人都有一只援助犬。采访范围从45到60 持续时间为分钟。数据被逐字转录并按主题进行分析。通过独立招聘、研究团队讨论、成员检查和研究人员反思期刊，最大限度地提高了可信度。研究结果：确定了三个主题：在与援助犬合作之前和之后参与日常职业，增加对日常职业的参与，以及援助犬对家庭单位的影响。据报道，救助犬帮助儿童从社区“孤立”走向“自由”。参与者报告说，这只狗通过积极影响日常生活的完成、提高独立性和提高治疗参与度来提高儿童的能力。援助犬被视为支持整个家庭的职业参与。在将援助犬引入家庭单元、动物维护成本和时间需求、公众访问权以及有限的政府资金方面，发现了一些挑战。结论：这项研究确定了与自闭症援助犬合作的儿童的好处和挑战。它为澳大利亚自闭症儿童和与其合作的职业治疗师的援助动物转介、评估和援助犬支持提供了见解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Australian Occupational Therapy Journal 医学-康复医学

CiteScore

2.80

自引率

16.70%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： The Australian Occupational Therapy Journal is a leading international peer reviewed publication presenting influential, high quality innovative scholarship and research relevant to occupational therapy. The aim of the journal is to be a leader in the dissemination of scholarship and evidence to substantiate, influence and shape policy and occupational therapy practice locally and globally. The journal publishes empirical studies, theoretical papers, and reviews. Preference will be given to manuscripts that have a sound theoretical basis, methodological rigour with sufficient scope and scale to make important new contributions to the occupational therapy body of knowledge. AOTJ does not publish protocols for any study design The journal will consider multidisciplinary or interprofessional studies that include occupational therapy, occupational therapists or occupational therapy students, so long as ‘key points’ highlight the specific implications for occupational therapy, occupational therapists and/or occupational therapy students and/or consumers.