Review Article
Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Table 12
Pet therapy in ASD.
| Author | Year | Type and duration of study | Sample size | Type of intervention | Comparators | Dose | Outcome measure | Findings | Comments |
| Kern et al. [89] | 2011 | Open label Duration: 12 months | (M 18; F 6) Age: 3–12 years | Horse riding | Waiting list | 60 min lesson once a week | CARS, the Timberlawn Parent-Child Interaction Scale, SP | Improvement in CARS | Open label design No blinding Waiting list lasts for three months Unclear drop-out rate |
| O’Haire et al. [90] | 2014 | Open label Duration: 8 weeks | (M 50; F 14) Age: 5–12 years | Pet therapy with Guinea pig | Waiting list | Two 20-minute sessions weekly | PDDBI, SSRS | Improvement in all outcome measures | Open label design No blinding |
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ASD, autism spectrum disorder; CARS, Childhood Autism Rating Scale; PDDBI, Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Behavior Inventory; SP, Sensory Profile; SSRS, Social Skills Rating System.
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