Canine-Assisted Therapy for Children With ADHD

TLDR

The study aimed to preliminarily evaluate a canine‑assisted intervention in a randomized trial with 24 children diagnosed with ADHD. A 12‑week cognitive‑behavioral program (Project Positive Assertive Cooperative Kids) was delivered to children in two groups—one with canine assistance and one without—while parents attended parallel weekly group sessions. Parents observed improved social and prosocial behaviors and reduced problematic behaviors, and children receiving the canine‑assisted model showed greater declines in ADHD symptom severity than those receiving standard cognitive‑behavioral therapy alone.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to provide preliminary findings from an ongoing randomized clinical trial using a canine-assisted intervention (CAI) for 24 children with ADHD. Method: Project Positive Assertive Cooperative Kids (P.A.C.K.) was designed to study a 12-week cognitive-behavioral intervention delivered with or without CAI. Children were randomly assigned to group therapy with or without CAI. Parents of children in both groups simultaneously participated in weekly parent group therapy sessions. Results: Across both treatment groups, parents reported improvements in children’s social skills, prosocial behaviors, and problematic behaviors. In both groups, the severity of ADHD symptoms declined during the course of treatment; however, children who received the CAI model exhibited greater reductions in the severity of ADHD symptoms than did children who received cognitive-behavioral therapy without CAI. Conclusion: Results suggest that CAI offers a novel therapeutic strategy that may enhance cognitive-behavioral interventions for children with ADHD.