Activity assisted by dogs in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorder - a comparative study under the perspective of the parents

Introduction: The treatment of autism spectrum disorder, due to its difficulty in diagnosis through clinical exams, presents challenges regarding the inclusion and maintenance of treatment procedures and effective therapies. Objective: The study aims to apply a checklist to the parents of autistic children in two moments in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the Assisted Activity by Dogs in addition to other treatments for autism given to their children. Methodological Path: This is a quantitative-qualitative research of a comparative nature. The research was carried out at the Casa da Esperança Foundation, in Fortaleza, Ceará, from May to July 2016, after approval by the Ethics Committee of Opinion No. 1540551/2016. An Autism Treatment Assessment Checklist (ATEC) was used as an instrument at an initial time and the application of the same form was repeated two months later for a comparative analysis of data. The sample consisted of ten parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Results and Discussion: After completing the second form by the parents / mothers of the children with ASD, we obtained the final results that were compared with the first results. All children showed a significant decrease in the score of the second ATEC form (T1) when compared to the form applied in Time Zero (T0), which characterizes an evolution in the treatment, because the lower the score, the better. A mean decrease = 8.3 points was obtained. Final Considerations: In this way, it concludes that it is important to encourage professionals to maintain the therapies and procedures performed in Early Intervention, since they have shown efficient results, according to the parents' evaluation.