Assistive Dogs as an Employment Support for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Presented by:

Andrew Clemons

Kelly Kort, MA, NCC

Sandra Hulme, M.Ed.

Darlene Groomes, Ph.D., CRC, LPC

Gary Mesibov, Ph.D.

APSE 2013Indianapolis, Indiana

Agenda and Basic Housekeeping

Brief introductions

Review research study and findings

Gallery walk (50 minutes)Three discussion break-outs, 15 minutes each, rotateWriting out input, disputes, and brainstorming with multidisciplinary

research team

Reconvene large group (15 minutes)

Texting and Notecard Questions/Comments517-896-9807

Email takeaways to participants within two weeks

Exploring Interactions with Dogs through OUCARES

Programming

Our purposeAdolescents with ASDDecrease stressIncrease pro-social behaviorEncourage adaptation to disability

Whether innovativeOutcomes from a social skills programDog interacting with one group

Research Specifics

Fourteen adolescent participants (12 males, 2 females; mean age= 13; mean school grade level= 7th) were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups

Both groups received six one-hour sessions (once per week, over six weeks)

Researchers designed the social skills curriculum; the content for both groups was identical

Delivery fluctuated due to the use of different instructors and utilization of the dog

Research Specifics

Participants and their families completed measures:Introductory Questionnaire Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC)Adaptation to Disability Scale-Revised (ADS-R) Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP)

Findings

Qualitative analysesThemes analysis identifies themes of self-

assurance and openness toward othersOngoing coding analysis indicates increased

occurrence of pro-social behaviors in the experimental group compared to control group

Preliminary results suggest that HAI may provide a means of helping adolescents and family members to employ pro-social behaviors

Benefits

Social skill-building/enhancement experiences

Exposure to dog

Social interactionDesensitize and teach tolerance to those who state

apprehension around dogs

Professional service providers observed use of dogs as safe and effective for OUCARES programming

Benefits

Improved levels of emotional well-being from this experience during a time in development when peer interactions typically challenge mental health outlook

Parents/guardians, too, benefit from the engagement that they had with their child

Magic benefited from human contact, healthy treat rewards, and attention.

Risks and Challenges

Child could respond negatively to the dog or another child in the group.

The long-haired German Shepard, Magic, is a certified assistance dog, trained through For Better Independence Dogs in Mason, Michigan

https://www.facebook.com/ForbetterindependenceBeth and Gary Spanski

Gallery WalkThree topical interest areas, 15 minutes at each

HAI Integrated Employment Programs and Quality of Life HAI and Its Applications for Individuals Living with Autism in Integrated

Employment and Transition Settings Quality Mechanisms Needed in an HAI Integrated Employment Program

Lead facilitator will provide a brief context, info on slidesParticipants to dialogue, debate, deliberateFacilitator to scribe informationModerator will note time to shiftFacilitator of different interest area will shift

Reconvene in larger group with

“audience speaker” highlight

Topic context

DDD

Scribe

Moderator note

Facilitator

shift

15 minutes each

Text Questions and Comments: 517-896-9807

HAI Integrated Employment Programs and Quality of Life

• Implications of social skills on overall well-being

• WHO definition (1998)• Quality of life reflects the perception of individual’s life, in the context of their culture and value

system, that their needs are being satisfied and that they are not being denied opportunities to achieve happiness and fulfillment, regardless of physical health status, or social and economic conditions.

• HAI stimulates social interaction and social competence

• Advances in neuroscience have provided us with valid research into how the social brain works• The mechanisms by which oxytocin and vasopressin contribute to human social behavior

• The role of oxytocin and vasopressin in autism spectrum disorders

• Correlations between basal oxytocin levels and the strength of social and bonding behaviors

HAI Integrated Employment Programs and Quality of Life

• Oxytocin and vasopressin are emerging as targets for treatment approaches

• Prosocial effects of intranasal application of oxytocin

• Oxytocin released during certain types of HAI

• Potential link between HAI effects and the oxytocin system• Oxytocin and HAI effects largely overlap as documented by

research in both humans and animals

• Offers an explanation of the effects of HAI

• Advantages of using HAI to increase oxytocin levels• Non-medical interventions

• Additional benefits

HAI Applications

• For individuals living with autism• Integrated employment

• Transition settings• “Individuals with autism are generally not provided with the skills

necessary to successfully move from school to post-secondary education, integrated employment (including supported employment), adult services, independent living, or community participation”

• How to attain, maintain, & retain employment• “A review of the current literature on outcomes for adults with ASD

indicates that, independent of current ability levels, the vast majority of adults on the spectrum are either unemployed or underemployed and, further, that large numbers of adults with autism remain without any appropriate services.”

(Gerhardt, P.F. & Lainer, I., 2010)

HAI Applications

• Utilization of animals as a potential adaptive strategy• Occupational Therapy

• View as an assistive technology

• Alternative service/device • “To be effective in this expanding practice area, occupational therapists

must understand how persons with physical disabilities use their service dogs as an adaptive strategy and what factors affect the success of this strategy.”

• Increased development of independence, employable skills, and psychosocial functioning• “Service dogs provide common ground, bridging the differences that

may cause social isolation and facilitating a renewed sense of connection with others.”

(Camp, M.M., 2000)

HAI Program Design ConsiderationsADA titles I (employment) and III (public access)

definitions and regulations. Information on documentation and employer’s role

from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN).HAI: anxiety management, social skills, and behavior

assistance.Individualization: accommodations suited to the

neurodiversity of the individual and the unique employment environment.

Cycle of design, implementation, and evaluation: creating a cycle of service improvement.

Implementation and EvaluationWhat goals does the individual have for the

workplace?How can an assistance dog be utilized to promote

these goals?Can HAI be integrated into your organization’s

evaluation protocols?Remembering the cycle: Implementation is tied to

evaluation. All program aspects must be evaluated.

Optimizing Employment Retention

Key Questions:

With all of the positives, why are there still such challenges for workers living with ASD?

How can HAI be utilized to optimize long-term employment success for this individual in this work environment?

Optimizing Employment RetentionWhat We Know:

Successful and ongoing employment results from careful consideration of individual characteristics and implementation of proper supports (Hendricks, 2010).

We know that employment improves quality of life (Garcia-Villamisar et al., 2002) – creating a cycle of progress.

Successful employment is the primary aspiration of adults with ASD (Hendricks, 2010).

Employers value the trustworthiness, reliability, and low absenteeism of individuals living with ASD (Howlin et al., 1995; in Hendricks, 2010).

An individual’s strengths, and neurodevelopmental characteristics, may translate into unique job strengths.

For More Information

Darlene Groomes, Ph.D., CRC, LPCAssociate ProfessorPrincipal Investigator

groomes@oakland.edu248-370-4237

To continue the DDD:

www.vocational-rehab.com“Resources” tab for copy of presentation

RPEN blog to continue our discussion and questioning

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Camp, M.M. (2000). The use of service dogs as an adaptive strategy: A qualitative study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55, 509-517.

Department of Justice. (2011). Title III regulations. Retrieved from: http://www.ada.gov/regs2010/titleIII_2010/titleIII_2010_withbold.htm

García-Villamisar, D., Wehman, P., & Navarro, M. D. (2002). Changes in the quality of autistic people’s life that work in supported and sheltered employment: A 5-year follow-up study, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation 17(4), 309–312.

Gerhardt, P.F. & Lainer, I. (2010). Addressing the needs of adolescents and adults with autism: A crisis on the horizon. Journalism of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 41, 37-45. 

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Howlin, P., Jordan, R. R., & Evans, G. (1995). Distance Education Course in Autism (Adults, Module 3, Unit 3). University of Birmingham, School of Education. Birmingham: UK.

JAN: Job Accommodation Network. (2011). Accommodation and compliance series: Service animals in the workplace. Retrieved from: http://askjan.org/media/downloads/ServiceAnimalsintheWorkplace.pdf

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Viau, R., Arsenault-Lapierre, G., Fecteau, S., Champagne, N., Walker, C., & Lupien, S. (2010). Effects of service dog on salivary cortisol secretion in autistic children. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35, 1187-1193. doi:10.1016j.psyneuen.2010.02.004

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