Therapy Dogs as an Emerging Alternative of Support for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract Many areas of functioning are impaired in the Autistic Spectrum Disorder among children. One such area is Social Interaction (SI), (O’Haire, 2013). There is a marked difference in SI among autistic children, with reduced communication, lack of emotional expression (verbal and nonverbal) and a difficulty in developing and maintaining relationships and processing facial expressions. It has been seen that interactions with service or therapy dogs has been linked with an increase in social skills and behaviour, (Carlisle, (2015). It has also been proven that just the presence of a therapy dog has better effects on an autistic child than a peer or family member, (Obrusnikova, 2011). It has been said that the social aversion among
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