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Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Long-Term Effect of Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Trial
Robin L Gabriels1,2, Zhaoxing Pan1,2, Noémie A Guérin3
1University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
|August 1, 2018
Summary
Therapeutic horseback riding (THR) sustained improvements in social and communication skills for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for six months post-intervention. Irritability reductions were also maintained, though hyperactivity did not show sustained benefits.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Behavioral science
- Animal-assisted therapy
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impacts social, communication, and behavioral functioning in children.
- Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) is an intervention explored for its potential benefits in ASD.
- Previous studies indicated short-term improvements from THR, necessitating longer-term follow-up.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the sustained effects of a 10-week Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) intervention on children with ASD.
- To evaluate the maintenance of improvements in irritability, hyperactivity, social, and communication behaviors six months after THR cessation.
- To compare long-term outcomes between the THR group and an active control group.
Main Methods:
- Follow-up data collected 6 months post-intervention from 44% of participants (ages 6-16) in a randomized controlled trial.
- Caregivers completed assessments for irritability and hyperactivity (primary outcomes).
- THR group participants completed additional outcome assessments, including language sample analysis.
Main Results:
- The THR group maintained significant reductions in irritability (p=0.07, effect size=0.32), preserving 73% of post-intervention efficacy.
- Sustained improvements were observed in social and communication behaviors, including vocabulary diversity, from baseline to 6-month follow-up.
- Hyperactivity behaviors did not demonstrate sustained improvements in the THR group.
Conclusions:
- Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) demonstrates potential for sustained improvements in social, communication, and irritability behaviors in children with ASD up to six months post-intervention.
- This study is the first to report on the longer-term maintenance of THR effects in individuals with ASD.
- Further research is warranted to confirm the durability of THR benefits and compare them against control conditions over extended periods.
Keywords:
animal-assisted interventionsautism spectrumirritabilitylong-term outcomestherapeutic horseback ridingMore Related Videos
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