Madelyn Grace Bowden

Author: Madelyn Grace Bowden | Major: Nursing | Semester: Spring 2023

My name is Madelyn Grace Bowden, and I am an honors student in the College of Education and Health Professions majoring in Nursing. Over the past Spring 2023 semester, I have had the privilege of working with Dr. Michele Kilmer in the Access for Autism Program. The purpose of our research is to analyze human-animal interaction during canine-assisted therapy sessions in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. My specific role is to analyze human-animal interactions between different cultural groups.

Animal-assisted therapy in general is aimed at promoting social, physical, and mental functioning. As social deficits are one of the primary markers of autism, this alternative therapy is hypothesized to improve these negative symptoms. Research on animal-assisted therapy and its effects on promoting prosocial behavior in children diagnosed with autism is fairly new. While current research suggests that these positive correlations exist, more studies need to be conducted to strengthen these claims. Through this study within the Access for Autism Program, participants’ behavior during sessions with a therapy canine will be coded and quantified. Sessions are 30- minutes long and participants attend weekly over the course of an 8–12-week program. These sessions are recorded so the participants’ behavior can be coded using the OHAIRE coding system. This will allow us to investigate the effects that animal-assisted therapy has on children with autism spectrum disorders. Our research will specifically focus on the effects among varying verbal abilities, ages, and cultures.

Thus far, I have worked to collect and analyze current research published on canine-assisted therapy in children with autism to identify areas in need of further investigation. Along with this, I have worked with Service/Therapy Canine “Gryffin” in his training with following command and instruction. One of the challenges I faced in my work was separating “play” time and “training” time with Gryffin. I have always loved dogs and each time I saw Gryffin I instantly wanted to rile him up and play but had to refrain as I knew I needed to keep him calm for training. Towards the end of the spring 2023 semester, I began and completed my training with the OHAIRE Coding System. This training has prepared me for upcoming work next year in which I will begin coding behavior from recorded sessions of participants enrolled in the Access for Autism Program.

I first learned about Dr. Kilmer’s research in September of 2022 when attending a faculty presentation in the Union. Dr. Kilmer was accompanied by Gryffin, her service and therapy dog, and together they discussed the potential effects animal-assisted therapy could have on prosocial behavior in children with autism. I was instantly drawn to the work Dr. Kilmer is doing and was thrilled to hear she was looking for two more students to join this study. After joining the team, Dr. Kilmer guided me through our research objectives and goals for Gryffin’s training. This upcoming school year, I look forward to furthering my work by attending animal-assisted therapy sessions that are held within the Access for Autism Program and coding recorded sessions. Dr. Kilmer’s passion for working in the Access for Autism Program is evident and I am so grateful I was given the opportunity to be a part of this research project.