Research Indicates Service Dogs Might Enhance Sleep for Autistic Children

Service dogs have traditionally been known for aiding physically disabled individuals by providing guidance, performing physical tasks, and issuing medical alerts. Their roles have now broadened to include psychiatric assistance for conditions such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in children. These dogs help alleviate some of the challenges associated with autism, including communication difficulties, sleep disturbances, repetitive behaviors, and restrictive actions. Although anecdotal evidence supports the advantages of service dogs for autistic children and their caregivers, scientific research in this area has been limited. A new study aims to address this gap.

New research indicates a link between better sleep patterns in autistic children and their interactions with service dogs

Conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona, the University of Virginia, and Purdue University, and published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, the research explores the benefits service dogs may offer to children with autism and their families. The study revealed a connection between better sleep behaviors in autistic children and their engagement with service dogs.

The study aimed to assess the psychosocial functioning of families with an autistic child by comparing those who already had a service dog at home with those who were on a waitlist for one. According to Medical Xpress, researchers hypothesized that families with a service dog would exhibit better overall functioning.

This investigation was inspired by the positive effects observed from animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) on autistic children, which include improvements in communication, social interaction, attention span, and emotional regulation. To further explore these benefits, the study focused on how service dogs, specifically trained to address sensory overload, interrupt repetitive behaviors, and provide calming pressure, can support autistic children.

For this study, researchers recruited families from the Canine Companions database, an ADI-accredited organization that trains service dogs. The participants included 39 families who had a service dog at home for at least six months and a control group of 36 families who were on the waiting list to receive a dog.

The researchers discovered that having a service dog provided a sense of comfort to autistic children at night, potentially reducing sleep anxiety and the need for co-sleeping with a caregiver.

The findings supported anecdotal evidence that service dogs offer numerous benefits, including reducing tantrums, improving sleep behaviors, and preventing elopement behaviors, along with their calming effect. Additionally, these service dogs benefited the caregivers, typically parents, by providing stress relief, a sense of security, and a way to reduce social isolation. This research adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting the positive impact of service dogs on children with ASD and their families.