Effects of Partnerships between Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities and Service Dogs

Background: With increasing frequency, service dogs are being placed with children with developmental disabilities (DDs). Occupational therapists and other professionals have advocated for the therapeutic use of service dog partnerships to facilitate greater independence and quality of life. There are no studies that examine service dog intervention with adolescents. Method: This study focused on the effects of partnerships between service dogs and three participant dyads, each including an adolescent with DDs and a parent. A single-subject, alternating treatment design was used to compare the effects of two conditions (service dog present or not present). The effects were examined for adolescents’ anxiety behaviors during transitions and during grocery store shopping, for social interactions during grocery store shopping, and for parents’ reported levels of stress. Results: Findings were that service dog partnerships reduced the presence of anxiety behaviors during transitions for one of the three adolescents; reduced the presence of anxiety behaviors during grocery store visits for two of the three adolescents; increased social interactions for all three of the participant dyads; and had no meaningful impact on self-reported parental stress level. Conclusion: For adolescents with DDs, professionals may want to consider service dog partnerships to decrease anxiety behaviors and increase social interactions in the community

The role of play in pediatric occupational therapy

Objective. This study examined the roles that play occupies within current occupational therapy practice with preschoolers. Method. Two hundred twenty-four pediatric occupational therapists completed mail questionnaires designed to ascertain how they use play in their practice, their knowledge and use of play assessments, and potential constraints on their use of play. Results. Although respondents indicated that play was important in motivating children and frequently used play as a treatment modality or reinforcer, they Less frequently assessed play behaviors or wrote treatment goals and objectives related to play. Differences were found between school-based and non-school-based respondents regarding the discipline or model that addresses play in the work setting, the use of play assessments, and constraints that Limit the use of play in the work setting. Conclusion. The results suggest a need for increasing the emphasis on play in entry-Level curricula and continuing education, improving clinician access to valid and reliable play assessments, and completing studies designed to examine the use and efficacy of play in occupational therapy intervention

Effects of Service Dogs Partnered with People with Mobility Challenges

Poster presented at NMOTA 2012.Poster reporting the findings of a study investigating the functional performance and social interaction of individuals paired with service dogs