Deanna L. Tepper

La Trobe University · School of Psychological Science

The use of animal-assisted interventions as a method of improving symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is becoming increasingly common, with a significant proportion of available literature suggesting improvements in social communication and interaction. Less is known about potential impacts on restricted and repetitive behaviors, motor skill...

Introduction: The benefits of completing household chores appear to transfer beyond managing day-to-day living. It is possible that chore engagement may improve executive functions, as engagement in chores require individuals to plan, self-regulate, switch between tasks, and remember instructions. To date, little research has been conducted on hou...

Recently, studies have begun to examine the educational and cognitive benefits of interacting with animals, specifically dogs. This study contributes to this research, with a focus on executive functioning abilities in six- to eight-year-old children. A naturalistic sample of 63 participants were allocated to one of three conditions, with varying l...

Dog-assisted educational programs, including reading programs, are becoming an area of research focus, based on claims of various advantages for children. However, while available findings typically indicate benefits for the children involved, the low quality of evidence makes it difficult to draw valid inferences. In the current study three dog-as...