Autism Spectrum DisorderAARTNCT06025539
Animal-assisted Resilience Training for Children With Stressful Life Events or Autism Spectrum Disorder
A study testing Animal-assisted resilience training in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Life Change Events, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effects of an animal-assisted resilience training in children who experienced stressful life events or who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 2 to 12 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Life Change Events
- What is being tested?
- Animal-assisted resilience training
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 107 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 10 Aug 2021to 31 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 2 to 12 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Age between 2 and 4 years (toddler group) or 8 and 12 years (children group)
- History of at least one stressful life event experience OR diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
- Basic knowledge of either German or English of parents and child to follow the instructions during the training sessions and completion of interviews.
Who cannot join
- Medical contraindications for contact with animals, such as allergies or phobia
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Effects of an Animal-assisted Resilience Training for Children With a History of Stressful Life Events or a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effects of an animal-assisted resilience training in children who experienced stressful life events or who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The main question it aims to answer is:
- Is an animal-assisted resilience training a feasible approach to increase resilience in children with a history of stressful life events or a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder?
Participants will take part in 12 training sessions of a standardized resilience training. The training is group-based, takes place outdoors, and includes interactions with different animals. It focuses on self-esteem, self-perception, dealing with emotions, and social competence.
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Life Change Events
- Being tested
- Animal-assisted resilience training
- Medical subject headings
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Animal-assisted resilience trainingBehavioural
Participants take part in 12 sessions (120 minutes each), each session focuses on a topic that is related to resilience. The intervention takes part outdoors on a farm, and includes interactions with several different animals. The training takes place in small groups, and includes exercises, observations, and discussions.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Animal-assisted resilience training | Experimental | 12 sessions of group-based, animal-assisted resilience training. Receives: Behavioral: Animal-assisted resilience training |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Questionnaire on resources in childhood and adolescence
Pre-to-post assessment changes in resilience
Measured: 18 weeks
Secondary outcomes (5)
Questionnaire to assess emotion regulation in children and adolescents
Pre-to-post assessment changes in emotion regulation
Measured: 18 weeks
Number of attended sessions
Number of attended sessions over the course of the training
Measured: 12 weeks
Feeling secure and motivation to participate as measured on a 0-10 scale
Motivation and feeling secure as measured at the beginning and end of each session
Measured: 12 weeks
Intervention satisfaction as assessed in semi-structured interview
Satisfaction with program content and structure, as measured by qualitative interview
Measured: 18 weeks (follow-up)
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
Pre-to-post assessment changes in peer-relationship problems and prosocial behavior measures
Measured: 18 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Sep 2023
- Study start10 Aug 2021
- Primary completion31 Dec 2025
- Study completion31 Dec 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Autism Spectrum DisorderStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 107 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06025539
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Resilience training
- Acronym
- AART
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 22 Aug 2023
- Last updated
- 4 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Data will be shared upon request and only once study results have been published.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of an Animal-assisted Resilience Training for Children With a History of Stressful Life Events or a Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06025539
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AART / Resilience training
- Conditions
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Life Change Events
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 107 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 10 Aug 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Sep 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the effects of an animal-assisted resilience training in children who experienced stressful life events or who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The main question it aims to answer is:
- Is an animal-assisted resilience training a feasible approach to increase resilience in children with a history of stressful life events or a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder?
Participants will take part in 12 training sessions of a standardized resilience training. The training is group-based, takes place outdoors, and includes interactions with different animals. It focuses on self-esteem, self-perception, dealing with emotions, and social competence.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Animal-assisted resilience training | Experimental | Behavioral: Animal-assisted resilience training12 sessions of group-based, animal-assisted resilience training. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 2 to 12 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Age between 2 and 4 years (toddler group) or 8 and 12 years (children group)
- History of at least one stressful life event experience OR diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
- Basic knowledge of either German or English of parents and child to follow the instructions during the training sessions and completion of interviews.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Medical contraindications for contact with animals, such as allergies or phobia
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Animal-assisted resilience trainingParticipants take part in 12 sessions (120 minutes each), each session focuses on a topic that is related to resilience. The intervention takes part outdoors on a farm, and includes interactions with several different animals. The training takes place in small groups, and includes exercises, observations, and discussions. | Behavioural | Animal-assisted resilience training |
Primary outcome
Questionnaire on resources in childhood and adolescence
Time frame: 18 weeks
Pre-to-post assessment changes in resilience
5 secondary outcomes
Questionnaire to assess emotion regulation in children and adolescents
Time frame: 18 weeks
Number of attended sessions
Time frame: 12 weeks
Feeling secure and motivation to participate as measured on a 0-10 scale
Time frame: 12 weeks
Intervention satisfaction as assessed in semi-structured interview
Time frame: 18 weeks (follow-up)
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
Time frame: 18 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 May 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Data will be shared upon request and only once study results have been published.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Animal-assisted resilience training in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Life Change Events, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Questionnaire on resources in childhood and adolescence (time frame: 18 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 May 2026.