Trial reportPloS one2012
Does pet arrival trigger prosocial behaviors in individuals with autism?
Trial report in PloS one, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 108 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) for Children with ASD Across Countries: A Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Dog-ownership and paediatric neurodevelopmental disorders; 'pawsitive' impact: a systematic review.Pediatric research · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Parents' Perspectives on the Benefits of Animal-Assisted Intervention: A Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Preliminary findings on the different gaze patterns on animal-based and human-based picture books in autistic children.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- From Gaze to Interaction: Links Between Visual Attention, Facial Expression Identification, and Behavior of Children Diagnosed with ASD or Typically Developing Children with an Assistance Dog.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- 'Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Supporting Families to 'Make the Most' of the Relationship Between Their Companion Dogs and Their Children with Autism Spectrum Condition: A Qualitative Exploration of the 'Family Dog Service'.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Exploring health behaviors and the role of pet dogs in households with autistic children: the DANE study.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2023Article
- Self-perceived empathic abilities of people with autism towards living beings mostly differs for humans.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Emotion Facial Processing in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study of the Impact of Service Dogs.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- Visual Exploration and Observation of Real-Life Interactions Between Children with ASD and Service Dogs.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2021Article
- LGBTQ+ People's Mental Health and Pets: Novel Strategies of Coping and Resilience.Archives of sexual behavior · 2021Article
- Effects of Dog-Assisted Education on Physical and Communicative Skills in Children with Severe and Multiple Disabilities: A Pilot Study.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2021Article
- Exploring Human-Companion Animal Interaction in Families of Children with Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2020Article
- Visual Attention Patterns Differ in Dog vs. Cat Interactions With Children With Typical Development or Autism Spectrum Disorders.Frontiers in psychology · 2020Article
- Cat and Dog Ownership in Early Life and Infant Development: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study of Japan Environment and Children's Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Article
- Parental Perceptions of the Nature of the Relationship Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Share with Their Canine Companion.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2019Article
- Affectionate Interactions of Cats with Children Having Autism Spectrum Disorder.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Alteration of social interactions especially prosocial behaviors--an important aspect of development--is one of the characteristics of autistic disorders. Numerous strategies or therapies are used to improve communication skills or at least to reduce social impairments. Animal-assisted therapies are used widely but their relevant benefits have never been scientifically evaluated. In the present study, we evaluated the association between the presence or the arrival of pets in families with an individual with autism and the changes in his or her prosocial behaviors. Of 260 individuals with autism--on the basis of presence or absence of pets--two groups of 12 individuals and two groups of 8 individuals were assigned to: study 1 (pet arrival after age of 5 versus no pet) and study 2 (pet versus no pet), respectively. Evaluation of social impairment was assessed at two time periods using the 36-items ADI-R algorithm and a parental questionnaire about their child-pet relationships. The results showed that 2 of the 36 items changed positively between the age of 4 to 5 (t(0)) and time of assessment (t(1)) in the pet arrival group (study 1): "offering to share" and "offering comfort". Interestingly, these two items reflect prosocial behaviors. There seemed to be no significant changes in any item for the three other groups. The interactions between individuals with autism and their pets were more--qualitatively and quantitatively--reported in the situation of pet arrival than pet presence since birth. These findings open further lines of research on the impact of pet's presence or arrival in families with an individual with autism. Given the potential ability of individuals with autism to develop prosocial behaviors, related studies are needed to better understand the mechanisms involved in the development of such child-pet relationship.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.