Human-Animal Interactions to Improve Reading for Children With Learning Differences

NCT ID: NCT05235451

Last Updated: 2024-04-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 14 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-06-20
• Study Completion Date: 2022-07-21

Brief Summary

The overall purpose of this study is to determine feasibility and preliminary efficacy of pet therapy, or human-animal interactions (HAI), for children (5-12 years of age) with or at risk for LD. Children among 4 reading groups will be randomly assigned to a HAI intervention or control group. The 2 HAI intervention reading groups will receive visits from a registered canine team during children's small group reading sessions twice a week over 12 weeks. The 2 control reading groups will receive care as usual and offered a 1-time visit from the dog at the end of the study (after T3 completed). Two weeks of initial work will focus on preliminary modifications to the protocol. Parents will complete electronic measures of psychological outcomes (child depression, anxiety, QOL) via REDCap at baseline (T1), 2 weeks post-baseline (T2), and 12 weeks post-baseline (T3). The investigators will obtain copies of reading assessments already conducted by the teachers at T1 and T3. Children's salivary cortisol will be obtained from participants in the intervention groups at T1, T2, and T3. Children and their parents will complete concluding interviews at study end (T3) to further inform what they liked and did not like about the intervention. Results of the proposed study will provide critical data for a future full-scale randomized clinical trial (R01) to examine the impact of HAI on psychological, physiological, and reading outcomes in children with or at risk for LD.

Detailed Description

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), approximately 2.3 million children in the United States have learning differences (LD) such as dyslexia or ADHD. Despite improvement in educational interventions such as resource-room services and instructional styles, the availability of services to help these children and their families cope, adapt, and maintain quality of life (QOL) is inadequate. In particular, children with LD are especially at high risk for negative consequences, including both physical and mental health issues compared with typically developing children. Human-animal interactions (HAI) may be a powerful and cost-effective strategy to improve reading fluencies and comprehension of children with LD. Emerging data suggest that HAI help promote classroom behaviors and learning, including effects on cognition, emotional functioning, and motor skills for children with and without LD. Yet, empirical evidence using a rigorous approach to support the effectiveness of HAI with children with or at risk for LD is lacking. Previous studies endorse the effectiveness of HAI in promoting reading abilities and show promise to improve psychosocial outcomes for children, but have focused on typically developing children. No published studies have specifically targeted effects of HAI on children with or at risk for learning differences. More data are needed to substantiate positive effects on reading abilities associated with HAI. The long-term goal of this study is to improve reading abilities and reduce the negative psychological and social sequelae of children with learning differences (LD).

Conditions

Animal-Human Bonding; Learning Problem; Child Development

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Intervention group

The 2 HAI intervention reading groups will receive visits from a registered canine team during children's small group reading sessions twice a week over 12 weeks.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Human-Animal Interactions

Intervention Type: OTHER

Human-animal interactions (HAI) is a powerful and cost-effective strategy to improve reading fluencies and comprehension of children with learning differences. Emerging data suggest that HAI help promote classroom behaviors and learning, including effects on cognition, emotional functioning, and motor skills for children with and without learning differences. The HAI reading group will receive reading instruction as usual plus visits from a registered therapy dog team (dog + animal handler) twice a week over 12 weeks.

Control group

The 2 control reading groups will receive care as usual and offered a 1-time visit from the dog at the end of the study (after T3 completed).

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Human-Animal Interactions

Human-animal interactions (HAI) is a powerful and cost-effective strategy to improve reading fluencies and comprehension of children with learning differences. Emerging data suggest that HAI help promote classroom behaviors and learning, including effects on cognition, emotional functioning, and motor skills for children with and without learning differences. The HAI reading group will receive reading instruction as usual plus visits from a registered therapy dog team (dog + animal handler) twice a week over 12 weeks.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Eligible Children are:

• 5-12 years of age
• With or at risk for a learning difference based on teacher report
• Assigned to a small reading group (approximately 3-5 children) that meets at least twice a week
• Able to understand English to complete consents and surveys
• Children both with and without dogs at home are allowed to participate in this study. Parents of subjects will be asked if they have a dog at home and, if so, to describe the child-dog relationship prior to data collection. This factor will be considered throughout the study
• Children taking medications are also allowed to participate in this study, and the investigators will consider medication protocols of subjects when evaluating outcomes.

Eligible Caregivers are:

• Parent or guardian as determined by person with whom each child resides for >50% of the time
• 18 years of age and up
• Able to understand English to complete consents and surveys

Exclusion Criteria

-Children self-reported fear of or allergies to canines.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 5 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Vanderbilt University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Terrah Akard

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Terrah F Akard, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Vanderbilt University

Locations

Currey Ingram Academy

Brentwood, Tennessee, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

IRB #212366

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id