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

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

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

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

55

Phase

  • 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

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
Intervention / Treatment
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

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

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)

September 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 21, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 16, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID 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.

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