Evaluating Additive Effects of Including Canines in Regulating Together

This study tests whether including trained therapy dogs in a structured emotion regulation program makes the program more effective for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who struggle with emotion dysregulation. Many children with autism experience intense, rapid, and difficult-to-manage emotional reactions — outbursts, meltdowns, and extreme distress — that significantly impair daily life, family functioning, and school participation. The base program being tested is called Regulating Together, a structured group intervention designed to teach children and parents co-regulation skills. The study adds trained canine-assisted therapy sessions to see whether the presence of a therapy dog enhances engagement, emotional calming, and learning. Eligible participants are children aged 8 to 15 with a confirmed ASD diagnosis, significant emotion dysregulation on a standardized scale, an IQ of 65 or above, and English as their primary language. Children who have a phobia of or allergy to dogs, a history of aggression toward animals, recent physical aggression toward other children resulting in injury, serious co-occurring psychiatric conditions, or major sensory impairments are not eligible. Children and their parents participate in the Regulating Together program with or without canine-assisted sessions and are assessed on emotion dysregulation, behavioral symptoms, and quality of life at multiple points. This research is important because emotion dysregulation is one of the most impactful and least treated aspects of autism in childhood, and evidence-based programs that are both effective and engaging for this population are urgently needed.