Evaluating Additive Effects of Including Canines in Regulating Together: A Group Treatment to Address Emotion Dysregulation in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder
The primary objective is to evaluate the potential additive effect of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) on a manualized behavioral treatment targeting emotion dysregulation (ED) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Aim 1: Evaluate whether Regulating Together-Canine demonstrates earlier and greater improvement in emotion dysregulation than Regulating Together-Standard. Aim 2: Evaluate if Regulating Together-Canine increases child engagement and learning compared to Regulating Together-Standard. Exploratory Aim: Explore association of physiological arousal (via heart rate tracking) with emotion dysregulation, treatment engagement, and learning.
• Concern of emotion dysregulation (ED) as measured by a score of 6 or greater on the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory-Reactivity (EDI-R)
• Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• Diagnosis confirmed by an experienced ASD clinician and further supported by scoring in the range for ASD on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2)
• A Full Scale Intelligence Quotient score of 65 or greater on the Weschler Abbreviated Scale Intelligence (WASI-II)
• English is the primary language
• Family willing to keep prescribed medication stable over the course of the study period