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Evaluating Additive Effects of Including Canines in Regulating Together
Evaluating Additive Effects of Including Canines in Regulating Together: A Group Treatment to Address Emotion Dysregulation in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Who can join
Ages 8 to 15 · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Concern of emotion dysregulation (ED) as measured by a score of 6 or greater on the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory-Reactivity (EDI-R) * Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) * Diagnosis confirmed by an experienced ASD clinician and further supported by scoring in the range for ASD on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) * A Full Scale Intelligence Quotient score of 65 or greater on the Weschler Abbreviated Scale Intelligence (WASI-II) * English is the primary language * Family willing to keep prescribed medication stable over the course of the study period Exclusion Criteria: * Participant has a phobia toward or is allergic to canines * Participant has a history of aggression toward animals * Participant has had any physical aggression toward other children outside the home in the past 2 weeks that resulted in injury * Presence of comorbid major neuropsychiatric illness warranting other treatment approaches as determined by the study clinician(s) including substance use disorders, psychotic disorders/schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, among others * Presence of any major sensory impairment that would limit participating in the material including blindness or uncorrected hearing loss * A legal guardian is not available to provide informed consent
About the study
The primary objective is to evaluate the potential additive effect of animal-assisted intervention (AAI) on a manualized behavioral treatment targeting emotion dysregulation (ED) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Aim 1: Evaluate whether Regulating Together-Canine demonstrates earlier and greater improvement in emotion dysregulation than Regulating Together-Standard.
Aim 2: Evaluate if Regulating Together-Canine increases child engagement and learning compared to Regulating Together-Standard.
Exploratory Aim: Explore association of physiological arousal (via heart rate tracking) with emotion dysregulation, treatment engagement, and learning.
What is being tested
- Regulating Together-Canine (behavioral)
- Regulating Together-Standard (behavioral)
Sponsor: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati · Participants: 240 · Started: Feb 28, 2023
Contact the study team
- Carrie Fassler · Phone: 513-803-3580
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05803343
Locations in the U.S.
| Ohio | Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.