Long-term Sustainability of the Effects of Dog-Assisted Therapy in Children and Adolescents With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: a 12-month Longitudinal Study

July 16, 2026 updated by: Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Research Institute
This study looks at whether dog-assisted therapy helps children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder improve social skills, behavior, quality of life, and emotional well-being, and whether these benefits last over time. It is also aimed at assessing caregivers' emotional well-being. Participants will already have completed the therapy, and the study will follow them at different time points to see if the changes remain months later. Families and health care providers should know that the evaluation uses standard questionnaires and clinical ratings, with no new invasive procedures, and the main goal is to better understand which children and families benefit most and how to make this type of therapy more effective in routine care.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This longitudinal study evaluates whether the benefits of dog-assisted therapy in children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder are maintained over time. The project focuses on social functioning, behavior, quality of life, clinical severity, and the emotional well-being of caregivers, using repeated follow-up assessments after treatment. The aim is to determine the durability of the intervention effects and identify factors that may influence long-term outcomes.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
55

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Barcelona
      • Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, 08035
        • Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Barcelona 08035

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

inclusion Criteria:all participants needed to have stable doses of medication for at least two months before the study and agree not to seek out any other psychiatric or psychological treatment during the study.

-

Exclusion Criteria:Patients who were not behaviorally stable, presented agressive behavior or required more intensive treatment (hospitalization or day hospital) were excluded.

-

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: Long-term Follow-up of Dog-Assisted Therapy.
This arm includes children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder who have previously completed a structured dog-assisted therapy program. Participants are followed at later time points to assess whether improvements in social skills, behavior, quality of life, and caregiver emotional well-being are maintained over time.
Behavioral: Dog assisted therapy
The intervention consists of a structured dog-assisted therapy program previously delivered to children and adolescents with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the clinical setting. It is distinguished by the active involvement of a trained therapy dog as part of the therapeutic process, with sessions designed to promote social interaction, emotional regulation, behavioral engagement, and communication. The present study does not introduce a new intervention; rather, it evaluates the persistence of the effects produced by this specific dog-assisted therapy program over time.
Other Names:
  • DAT

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Time Frame: Single administration baseline
Intellectual Quotient
Single administration baseline
Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL by Achenbach)
Time Frame: 3, 6 and 12 months after baseline
Internalizing/ Externalizing Symptoms maximum scores for symptom severity
3, 6 and 12 months after baseline
Social Skills Improvement System-Parent Form (SSIS-P)
Time Frame: 3, 6 and 12 months after baseline
Social skills assessment - 0 to 60 max scotring
3, 6 and 12 months after baseline
KidScreen 27- 0 maximum 135 - highest severity symptoms at 135
Time Frame: 3, 6 and 12 months after baseline
Quality of life assesment
3, 6 and 12 months after baseline
Clinical Global Impression Scale for Severity.0 to 7 (7 most severely ill).
Time Frame: 3,6 and 12 months after baseline
Severity of FASD symptoms
3,6 and 12 months after baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron Research Institute

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 16, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • PR(AG)229-2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

The data collected from the patients evaluated in our hospital will be stored in the medical records of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, as well as in a computerized database that allows for analysis. Rigorous confidentiality of the data will be maintained in accordance with current regulations in Spain (Ley Orgánica de Protección de Datos). To analyze the final data from the three hospitals, each patient will be coded (anonymous code) to facilitate data processing.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings