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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 household chores and executive functions in children, for whom these skills are still developing. Methods: Parents and guardians (N = 207) of children aged 5-13 years (M = 9.38, SD = 2.15) were asked to complete parent-report questionnaires on their child's engagement in household chores and their child's executive functioning.Results: Results of the regression model indicated that engagement in selfcare chores (e.g., making self a meal) and family-care chores (e.g., making someone else a meal) significantly predicted working memory and inhibition, after controlling for the influence of age, gender, and presence or absence of a disability. For families with a pet, there was no significant relationship between engagement in pet-care chores and executive function skills. Conclusion:We strongly recommend that further research explore the relationship between chores and executive functions. It is possible that parents may be able to facilitate their child's executive function development through encouraging participation in chores, whereas chore-based interventions (e.g., cooking programmes) may also be used to target deficits in ability. K E Y W O R D S activities of daily living, child behaviour, child development, executive functions, pet-owner relationshipsThis research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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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 skills, or executive functions. Furthermore, it is unknown what level of interaction with an animal, if any, is needed to produce improvements. In the current study, the behavior and skills of 16 children diagnosed with ASD, aged 2 to 4 years, were observed when a therapy dog, Muffin, was actively interacting with them, passively present in a classroom, or absent from the classroom. Contrary to expectations, the children actively interacted with the dog only infrequently, and there were no differences across conditions on numerous variables. Muffin’s presence and activity level was only associated with motor skills in the children, with results indicating that the participants were more likely to remain stationary than engage in physical activity when the therapy dog was present, perhaps indicating a global calming effect. The general lack of significant differences suggests that further studies may be necessary to determine exactly which symptoms of ASD respond to animal-assisted interventions, and also to determine optimal treatment dosage and frequency. We contend that the design of animal-assisted intervention may be critical in producing previously reported benefits.