Pilot study measuring the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on school-age children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

► Therapeutic horseback riding (THR) was used with 42 children with ASD. ► Ten weeks of THR improved self-regulation behaviors, motor planning, and language. ► Compared with a waitlist control group, THR improved self-regulation behaviors. ► Future directions include randomized controlled trial, wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in autism spectrum disorders 2012-04, Vol.6 (2), p.578-588
Main Authors: Gabriels, Robin L., Agnew, John A., Holt, Katherine D., Shoffner, Amy, Zhaoxing, Pan, Ruzzano, Selga, Clayton, Gerald H., Mesibov, Gary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Autism
Behavior Problems
Children
Communication skills
Comparative Analysis
Daily Living Skills
Expressive Language
Horses
Hyperactivity
Irritability
Language Skills
Motor skills
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Program Effectiveness
Psychomotor Skills
Recreational Activities
Self Control
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
Therapeutic horseback riding
Therapeutic Recreation
Therapy
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Summary:► Therapeutic horseback riding (THR) was used with 42 children with ASD. ► Ten weeks of THR improved self-regulation behaviors, motor planning, and language. ► Compared with a waitlist control group, THR improved self-regulation behaviors. ► Future directions include randomized controlled trial, with larger sample size and expansion of outcome measures. This preliminary study examined the effects of 10 weekly lessons of therapeutic horseback riding (THR) on 42 participants diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ages 6–16years) compared to a subset (n=16) of the total study population who were first evaluated before and after a 10-week waitlist control condition. All participants received baseline and post-condition assessments in the areas of self-regulation (Irritability, Lethargy, Stereotypic Behavior, and Hyperactivity), adaptive living skills, and motor skills. Participants who completed 10weeks of THR demonstrated significant improvements on measures of Irritability, Lethargy, Stereotypic Behavior, Hyperactivity, expressive language skills, motor skills, and verbal praxis/motor planning skills. When compared to the pre- and post-assessments of participants from the waitlist control condition, the THR group still showed significant improvements in self-regulation behaviors. The THR-specific change from the baseline to post-assessments suggests that the improvements are related to the THR treatment.
ISSN:1750-9467
1878-0237
DOI:10.1016/j.rasd.2011.09.007