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Dogs may help kids with autism control emotions, new study says

NCT ID NCT05803343

Symptom relief Sponsor: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 09, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study looks at whether adding a therapy dog to a group behavioral program helps children with autism manage their emotions better. About 240 children with autism who have trouble controlling emotions will take part. The program teaches emotion regulation skills, and some children will have a trained dog present during sessions to see if it boosts engagement and learning.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 240 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2023

Expected to finish

Jan 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

8 to 15 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Concern of emotion dysregulation (ED) as measured by a score of 6 or greater on the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory-Reactivity (EDI-R) * Diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) * Diagnosis confirmed by an experienced ASD clinician and further supported by scoring in the range for ASD on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2) * A Full Scale Intelligence Quotient score of 65 or greater on the Weschler Abbreviated Scale Intelligence (WASI-II) * English is the primary language * Family willing to keep prescribed medication stable over the course of the study period Exclusion Criteria: * Participant has a phobia toward or is allergic to canines * Participant has a history of aggression toward animals * Participant has had any physical aggression toward other children outside the home in the past 2 weeks that resulted in injury * Presence of comorbid major neuropsychiatric illness warranting other treatment approaches as determined by the study clinician(s) including substance use disorders, psychotic disorders/schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, among others * Presence of any major sensory impairment that would limit participating in the material including blindness or uncorrected hearing loss * A legal guardian is not available to provide informed consent

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

autism spectrum disorder Emotional Regulation

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Autism spectrum disorder Emotion regulation

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

    RECRUITING

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45229, United States

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