Dr. Louise Burgoyne:

The use of assistance dogs is quite new to the research scene, but there is emerging literature which shows that they are a very valuable resource. To sum it up in one sentence, the dog acts as a bridge between the person with the disability and society. As Ms Dutton and Ms Geraghty explained, the dogs ground the person and allow him or her to function independently in society. I am sure Ms Dowler will give examples of how that works for people with physical disabilities.

There was a question about whether we had received funding for our study which focused on children with autism. We received a little funding from the Irish Research Council, about which we were delighted. The study involved making an assessment of parents' needs and what we found was that basic needs were being met in that the child was grounded and could not bolt. In short, the dog acts as an anchor. How it works is that the handler gives commands to the dog, the child being attached to the dog either by holding a handle or by a leash and belt system. Our study showed that needs were being met outside the home in terms of the dog being able to ground the child, prevent bolting and function as a source of calm and comfort. However, there also are needs to be met within the home, particularly in regard to safety. There is work to be done in assessing how assistance dog services might help to meet these needs.

The needs assessment also highlighted the importance of utilising new technologies. We have just started working with staff at the Tyndall National Institute to explore ideas around how we can maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of assistance dogs by using advanced technological solutions such as sensors. There is the potential, for instance, to develop a type of early warning system for parents. If a child is going to go into meltdown and the parent has not picked up on it, although most learn to pick up on it very quickly, the dog might be able to alert the parent to what is happening. We find the dogs cue on things we do not even notice. It is a question of harnessing that ability to make the dogs more effective.

In terms of the literature in general, most of it is extremely positive, as I said in my opening statement. We do, however, need greater rigour as to methodology to be used. A randomised control trial is required to show that an assistance dogs service really works. We also need to make a full economic evaluation. We are seeking funding to that end.