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Pet Therapy for Learning Disabilities

N/A
Recruiting
Led By Terrah F Akard, PhD
Research Sponsored by Vanderbilt University
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Caregivers must be 18 years of age and up
Children both with and without dogs at home are allowed to participate in this study. Parents of subjects will be asked if they have a dog at home and, if so, to describe the child-dog relationship prior to data collection. This factor will be considered throughout the study
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up day 0, day 14, day 84
Awards & highlights

Study Summary

This trial is testing whether pet therapy can help improve reading skills or psychological outcomes in children with learning disabilities or who are at risk for them.

Who is the study for?
This trial is for children aged 5-12 with or at risk for learning disabilities, who are in small reading groups. It includes kids taking medications and those with dogs at home. Parents must be guardians, over 18, and understand English. Kids afraid of or allergic to dogs cannot participate.Check my eligibility
What is being tested?
The study tests if pet therapy helps kids with learning differences improve their reading skills. Children will either receive regular canine visits during reading sessions or continue usual care without the intervention, followed by assessments of psychological and physiological changes.See study design
What are the potential side effects?
There are no direct medical side effects from the human-animal interactions being studied; however, there may be a risk of emotional distress for children who do not respond well to animals or feel disappointed when not in the intervention group.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
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I am a caregiver and I am at least 18 years old.
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I am a child who may or may not have a dog at home.
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I am in a small reading group that meets at least twice a week.
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My child is between 5 and 12 years old.
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I am the main caregiver, living with the child more than half the time.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~day 0, day 14, day 84
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and day 0, day 14, day 84 for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Outcome measures can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary outcome measures
Change in "Child acute stress"
Change in "Child reading fluency"
Change in "Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Parent Proxy Scale v1.0 - Global Health 7"
+2 more
Secondary outcome measures
Satisfaction assessment after the intervention

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Intervention groupExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
The 2 HAI intervention reading groups will receive visits from a registered canine team during children's small group reading sessions twice a week over 12 weeks.
Group II: Control groupActive Control1 Intervention
The 2 control reading groups will receive care as usual and offered a 1-time visit from the dog at the end of the study (after T3 completed).

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Vanderbilt UniversityLead Sponsor
703 Previous Clinical Trials
6,142,929 Total Patients Enrolled
Terrah F Akard, PhDPrincipal InvestigatorVanderbilt University

Media Library

Human-Animal Interactions Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT05235451 — N/A
Human-Animal Bonding Research Study Groups: Intervention group, Control group
Human-Animal Bonding Clinical Trial 2023: Human-Animal Interactions Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT05235451 — N/A
Human-Animal Interactions 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT05235451 — N/A

Frequently Asked Questions

These questions and answers are submitted by anonymous patients, and have not been verified by our internal team.

Is there an age limit for individuals to enroll in the research?

"This study is open to young individuals aged between 5 and 12 years."

Answered by AI

What is the largest number of participants in this experiment?

"Affirmative. According to records available on clinicaltrials.gov, this medical trial is actively enrolling candidates; first posted June 20th 2022 and last revised July 8th 2022. 40 individuals are being sought from one location."

Answered by AI

May I apply to be a participant in this clinical trial?

"Those interested in participating must be aged between 5 to 12 years old, and have had a diagnosis of child development. This research is currently looking for around 40 participants."

Answered by AI

Is recruitment of participants still occurring for this experiment?

"Affirmative. According to information published on clinicaltrials.gov, applications for this medical trial are open from June 20th 2022 and the most recent update was made July 8th 2022. The team is looking for 40 persons across one location."

Answered by AI

Who else is applying?

What site did they apply to?
Currey Ingram Academy
What portion of applicants met pre-screening criteria?
Met criteria

Why did patients apply to this trial?

My son has dyslexia and loves animals. If nurturing his bond with animals can help him with his reading fluency, I am interested.
PatientReceived 1 prior treatment
~5 spots leftby Jun 2024