Graduation Year
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Child and Family Studies
Major Professor
Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Keywords
animal-assisted therapy, applied behavior analysis, autism, therapy dogs
Abstract
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has become a popular intervention for the health and behavioral community as evidenced by media attention. The research that has been done on AAT has been mostly qualitative and anecdotal. The current study adds to the literature on AAT by collecting quantitative data on AAT. A multiple baseline design across three participants was used to evaluate the independent reading duration under a baseline condition (no dog present) and a non-contingent access to dog condition (which simulated how dog therapy is typically conducted). If reading did not increase during the non-contingent dog condition, a contingent access to the dog condition was implemented to determine if the participants would engage in increased reading duration to earn access to the dog. In this study, noncontingent access to the therapy dog resulted in increased reading duration for two of the participants. One participant showed variable results in the noncontingent phase and required the introduction of the contingent dog phase, which resulted in increases in reading duration.
Scholar Commons Citation
Butts, Taylor L., "Animal-Assisted Therapy to Increase Independent Reading forChildren with Autism Spectrum Disorder" (2019). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/7754
