SynthesisAutism : the international journal of research and practice2022
Synthesis in Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Animal-assisted therapy on psychological and physical outcomes: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Journal of global health · 2026Pooled it
- Nature-Based Interventions for Autistic Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Evaluating a Novel Cat-Assisted Training (CAT) Intervention for Youth with Developmental Disabilities and Their Family Cat.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Advances in supporting development in autistic children and youth.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2026Review
- Research Trends and Emerging Directions in Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Bibliometric Analysis (2001-2025).Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Pawsitive Impact: Measuring the Dog Mentor's Effect in Neurodivergent Students.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of a 6-week occupational therapy program with hippotherapy on postural control and social behavior for children with autism spectrum disorder.International journal of developmental disabilities · 2026Article
- Parents' Perspectives on the Benefits of Animal-Assisted Intervention: A Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- A Review of Therapeutic Approaches for Autism Spectrum Disorder.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Assessing Equine Behavioural Responses in Equine-Assisted Services: A Field Study Analysis.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025Article
- Parent reported barriers and facilitators to support services for autistic children in Aotearoa New Zealand.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
lay abstractChildren with autism typically experience difficulties interacting socially with others when compared to their non-autistic peers. Establishing how effective interventions are for improving social functioning is important to help inform what should be offered to children with autism. This study reviewed how effective interventions that involved interaction with a live animal, known as animal-assisted interventions, are in improving social functioning in children with autism. A systematic search of the evidence on this topic found nine studies, which were explored for the effectiveness of animal-assisted interventions and the quality of methods used. Overall, these studies showed improvements in social functioning following equine-assisted or therapeutic horse-riding interventions, with initial evidence showing improvements are sustained in the short and medium term. However, several issues were identified, which limit the strength of any conclusions that can be drawn from this evidence. For example, in many studies people assessing the children were aware that they received the intervention or were in a control group. There was also not enough evidence available to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of other animal-assisted interventions. Future research should address the limitations that were common in the designs of these studies and investigate the potential benefit of other animal populations, such as dogs and cats.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.