Este estudio tuvo como objetivo examinar si el contacto con animales de compañía se asocia con el desempeño en Teoría de la Mente (ToM) en niños con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA). Participaron 27 niños diagnosticados con TEA, con edades comprendidas entre los 6 y los 17 años, quienes completaron la Batería de Tareas para Evaluación de la Teoría de la Mente (BTATM). Los participantes fueron comparados en función de la convivencia con animales de compañía y del contacto regular con animales fuera del hogar. Se realizaron análisis estadísticos mediante pruebas t para muestras independientes, ANOVA de dos factores, correlaciones de Spearman y regresión lineal múltiple, considerando un nivel de significación de α = .05. Los resultados mostraron que los niños que convivían con animales obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente más altas en ToM que aquellos sin animales en casa (t = 4.812, p < .001). El análisis de regresión indicó que el contacto con animales fuera del hogar mostró una asociación estadísticamente significativa con el desempeño en ToM (β = –0.395, p = .034). Estos hallazgos sugieren que las interacciones cotidianas con animales pueden estar asociadas con un mejor desempeño en habilidades sociocognitivas en niños con TEA, aunque la naturaleza transversal del estudio no permite establecer relaciones causales.
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Andreou, M., & Skrimpa, V. (2020). Theory of mind deficits and neurophysiological operations in autism spectrum disorders: A review. Brain Sciences, 10(6), 393. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060393
Atherton, G., Edisbury, E., Piovesan, A., & Robinson, J. (2023). “They ask no questions and pass no criticism”: A mixed-methods study exploring pet ownership in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53, 3280–3294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05622-y
Baron-Cohen, S. (1995). Mindblindness: An essay on autism and theory of mind. MIT Press.
Berry, A., Borgi, M., Francia, N., Alleva, E., & Cirulli, F. (2013). Use of assistance and therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorders: A critical review of the current evidence. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19(2), 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2011.0835
Bibbo, J., Curl, A. L., & Johnson, R. A. (2019). Pets in the lives of older adults: a life course perspective. Anthrozoös, 32(4), 541–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2019.1621541
Bosacki, S., Tardif-Williams, C. Y., & Roma, R. P. S. (2022). Children’s and adolescents’ pet attachment, empathy, and compassionate responding to self and others. Adolescents, 2(4), 493-507. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents2040039
Burge, T. (2018). Do infants and nonhuman animals attribute mental states? Psychological Review, 125(3), 409–434. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000091
Byström, K., Grahn, P., & Hägerhäll, C. (2019). Vitality from experiences in nature and contact with animals-a way to develop joint attention and social engagement in children with autism?. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(23), 4673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16234673
Carlisle, G.K. (2015). The social skills and attachment to dogs of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 1137–1145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2267-7
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Data & statistics on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/autism/data-research
Cheang, R. T., Skjevling, M., Blakemore, A. I., Kumari, V., & Puzzo, I. (2025). Do you feel me? Autism, empathic accuracy and the double empathy problem. Autism: the International Journal of Research and Practice, 29(9), 2315–2327. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241252320
Chung, K. M., Chung, E., & Lee, H. (2024). Behavioral interventions for autism spectrum disorder: A brief review and guidelines with a specific focus on applied behavior analysis. Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35(1), 29–38. https://doi.org/10.5765/jkacap.230019
Carter, C. S., & Porges, S. W. (2016). Neural mechanisms underlying human-animal interaction: An evolutionary perspective. In L. S. Freund, S. McCune, L. Esposito, N. R. Gee, & P. McCardle (Eds.), The social neuroscience of human-animal interaction (pp. 89–105). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14856-006
Dale, B. A., Rispoli, K., & Ruble, L. A. (2022). Social emotional learning in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education, 6(2), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.58948/2834-8257.1021
Grandin, T., Fine, A. H., O’Haire, M. E., Carlisle, G., & Bowers, C. M. (2015). The roles of animals for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. In A. H. Fine (Ed.), Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy (4th ed., pp. 225–236). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801292-5.00016-X
Hadwin, J., Baron-Cohen, S., Howlin, P., & Hill, K. (1997). Does teaching theory of mind have an effect on the ability to develop conversation in children with autism? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 27(5), 519–537. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1025826009731
Happé, F. (1994). An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters’ thoughts and feelings by able autistic, mentally handicapped, and normal children and adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24(2), 129–154. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02172093
Heyes, C. (2018). Cognitive gadgets: The cultural evolution of thinking. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674985155
Ilzarbe, D., Lukito, S., Moessnang, C., O'Daly, O. G., Lythgoe, D. J., Murphy, C. M., Ashwood, K., Stoencheva, V., Rubia, K., & Simonoff, E. (2020). Neural Correlates of Theory of Mind in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and the Comorbid Condition. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, 544482. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.544482
Kilmer, M., Hong, M., Akakpo, V., Hawley, T., Randolph, D., Huetter, S., Reichel, A., & Bowden, M. (2025). The effect of Animal-assisted therapy on prosocial behavior and emotional regulation in autistic children with varying verbal abilities: A pilot study. PLOS ONE, 20(7), e0326085. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0326085
Lee, I. J., & Yang, W. C. (2025). Enhancing perspective-taking and empathy in children with autism spectrum disorder through asymmetric VR games and peer collaboration. Interactive Learning Environments, 33(1), 526–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2024.2351174
McNicholas, J., Gilbey, A., Rennie, A., Ahmedzai, S., Dono, J.-A., & Ormerod, E. (2005). Pet ownership and human health: A brief review of evidence and issues. BMJ, 331(7527), 1252–1254. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7527.1252
Melson, G. F. (2001). Why the wild things are: Animals in the lives of children. Harvard University Press.
Mills, D., & Hall, S. (2014). Animal-assisted interventions: making better use of the human-animal bond. The Veterinary Record, 174(11), 269–273. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.g1929
Mueller, M.K. (2021). Human-Animal Interaction and Child Health and Development. In Well-Being Over the Life Course. Springer Briefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64085-9_5
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2021). Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: Support and management (CG170). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg170
Nieforth, L. O., Schwichtenberg, A. J., & O'Haire, M. E. (2023). Animal-Assisted Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature from 2016 to 2020. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 10(2), 255–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-021-00291-6
O’Haire, M. E. (2013). Animal-assisted intervention for autism spectrum disorder: A systematic literature review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(7), 1606–1622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1707-5
O'Haire, M. E., McKenzie, S. J., McCune, S., & Slaughter, V. (2014). Effects of classroom animal-assisted activities on social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.), 20(3), 162–168. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2013.0165
Oppenheim, D., Mottes-Peleg, M., Hamburger, L., Slonim, M., Maccabi, Y., & Yirmiya, N. (2025). The social skills of autistic boys in preschool: the contributions of their dyadic and triadic interactions with their parents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines, 66(3), 322–332. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.14061
Purewal, R., Christley, R., & Kordas, K. (2017). Companion animals and child development: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 234. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030234
Purewal, R., Christley, R., Kordas, K., Joinson, C., Meints, K., Gee, N., & Westgarth, C. (2024). Companion animals and child development outcomes: longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of a UK birth cohort study. BMC pediatrics, 24(1), 578. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-024-05049-7
Redefer, L. A., & Goodman, J. F. (1989). Brief report: pet-facilitated therapy with autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19(3), 461–467. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212943
Saxe, R., & Wexler, A. (2005). Making sense of another mind: The role of the right temporo-parietal junction. Neuropsychologia, 43(10), 1391–1399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2005.02.013
Serpell, J. A. (2017). The human-animal bond. In L. Kalof (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of animal studies. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199927142.013.31
Schaafsma, S. M., Pfaff, D. W., Spunt, R. P., & Adolphs, R. (2015). Deconstructing and reconstructing theory of mind. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(2), 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2014.11.007
Schurz, M., Radua, J., Aichhorn, M., Richlan, F., & Perner, J. (2014). Fractionating theory of mind: A meta-analysis of functional brain imaging studies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 42, 9–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.01.009
Shamay-Tsoory, S. G., & Peretz, I. (2007). Dissociable prefrontal networks for cognitive and affective theory of mind: A lesion study. Neuropsychologia, 45(13), 3054–3067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.05.021
Sousa Machado, T., Leal, A., Silva, J. M. T., Hutchins, T., Prelock, P., & Chace, J. (2016). Teoria da mente em crianças dos 3 aos 5 anos: Adaptação portuguesa da Theory of Mind Task Battery. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.18251.80164 (Unpublished manuscript)
Talantseva, O. I., Romanova, R. S., Shurdova, E. M., Dolgorukova, T. A., Sologub, P. S., Titova, O. S., Kleeva, D. F., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2023). The global prevalence of autism spectrum disorder: A three-level meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychiatry, 14, 1071181. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1071181
Trentacosta, C. J., & Fine, S. E. (2010). Emotion knowledge, social competence, and behavior problems in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic review. Social Development (Oxford, England), 19(1), 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00543.x
Tager-Flusberg, H. (2007). Evaluating the theory-of-mind hypothesis of autism. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16(6), 311–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00527.x
Vidović, V. V., Štetić, V. V., & Bratko, D. (1999). Pet ownership, type of pet and socio-emotional development of school children. Anthrozoös, 12(4), 211–217. https://doi.org/10.2752/089279399787000129
Ward, S. J., Whalon, K., Rusnak, K., Wendell, K., & Paschall, N. (2013). The association between therapeutic horseback riding and the social communication and sensory reactions of children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(9), 2190–2198. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1773-3
Wilson, C., Ballantyne, C., & Hawkins, R. D. (2025). ‘He’s practising his learned social skills on the cat’: A mixed-methods investigation of parental perspectives of the role of pets in autistic children’s social skills and wellbeing. Behavioral Sciences, 15(4), 419. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040419
2025-04-15
Actualización de la versión de la plataforma