There is good reason to suspect that dogs could be helpful for kids with ADHD, writes Karen B. London, PhD.
If the Motivational Hypothesis is true, then interacting with dogs may help these kids by heightening their arousal and emotional states which may lead to increased attention and interest in the environment in which therapy takes place.
Although promising, there is still much to be learned about the best way to incorporate therapy dogs into the treatment of kids with ADHD.
Source: The Bark, August 2018. Link.
In “Canine Assisted Therapy for Kids With ADHD” researchers share the results of their research showing that therapy dogs effectively reduce symptoms of this disorder in children. This study showed that therapy with dogs improved some symptoms of ADHD but not others, so it is likely that multiple treatment types are needed to target the full range of symptoms. There is still much to be learned about the best way to incorporate therapy dogs into the treatment of kids with ADHD.
INSIGHTS: During the recent 2018 AVMA conference I overheard part of a discussion about therapy dog questions and the challenges of determining the training needs for them. Regardless of specialty training, veterinary teams and retailers can emphasize the need for basic socialization training for all dogs with humans and other dogs.