Dog-Assisted Therapy for Children and Adolescents With FASD
FASD
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for FASD focused on measuring FASD, animal-assisted therapy, dog-assisted therapy
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients diagnosed with FASD between 6 and 18 years (FAS, pFAS or ARND)
- With or without comorbidities
- Stabilized doses of medication for at least 2 months before the study
- Patients with borderline IQ or mental retardation.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients who were not behaviorally stable
- Patients that required hospitalization, day hospital or more intensive treatments.
Sites / Locations
- Vall d'Hebron Research Institute
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Active Comparator
Dog-Assisted Therapy (DAT) and pharmacological treatment
Treatment as usual (TAU, pharmacological treatment)
The DAT program comprised 12 manualized sessions and included two phases: 1) individual intervention (6 sessions) and 2) group activity (6 sessions). Patients participated in weekly sessions for about 3 months. Each session lasted 45 minutes. The groups were formed by 3-4 patients. Sessions included the participation of two certified therapy dogs, two technicians specialized in DAT and a psychologist. Participants in this group were visited by their psychiatrist in order to monitor their adherence to medications.
Participants received their usual treatment. They were visited by their psychiatrist in order to monitor their adherence and continuation on medications as prescribed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were the same as for the experimental group. Participants in the TAU group did not receive DAT sessions.