# Pawsitive Impact: Measuring the Dog Mentor’s Effect in Neurodivergent Students

## TL;DR

This study explores how a dog mentor program helps children with autism in schools by analyzing activities and outcomes reported by teachers and handlers.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into the variability and perceived benefits of a dog mentor program tailored for children with autism.

## Key findings

- Teachers and handlers reported that the Dog Mentor program supported children with autism through tailored sessions.
- Handler reports noted benefits such as creating a calm environment, promoting engagement, and improving self-regulation and mental health.

## Abstract

Children diagnosed with autism face many barriers to learning. Animal Assisted Services and Interventions (AAS/AAI) have been adopted to support children within schools. The Dog Mentor is a UK-based organisation that provides training for handlers and assesses dogs to be integrated within schools. It adopts a rigorous and continuous training package and ensures the safety and welfare of all involved by adopting a whole school approach. This research uses content analysis to understand the types of activities and outcomes in The Dog Mentor programme, as established by teachers and dog handlers, across 58 schools. Teachers and dog handlers perceived that The Dog Mentor successfully supported children with autism, using a variety of sessions. This variability is seen as a benefit as it enables the intervention to be tailored to meet the needs of the students. Handler-reported benefits include creating a calm environment, promoting engagement, and supporting learning. Improved self- and emotion regulation, mental health, and resilience were also noted by the handler reports. Future research needs to investigate these perceived benefits using quantitative data, as well as look into outcomes relating to the dogs supporting others with bereavement and trauma. This topic was briefly mentioned by two of the schools, but there was not enough data to understand the impact in depth.