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Therapeutic Riding or Mindfulness: Comparative Effectiveness of Two Recreational Therapy Interventions for
Betsy Kemeny1, Steffanie Burk2, Deborah Hutchins3
1Department of Recreational Therapy, Slippery Rock University, 106 Patterson Hall, Slippery Rock, PA, 16057, USA. Elizabeth.kemeny@sru.edu.
Abstract:
Therapeutic riding (THR) and HeartMath (HM) mindfulness-based interventions have promise for reducing stress in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. In three 10-week periods, this study compared THR, HM, and control on salivary cortisol, self-reported stress, parent-reported social responsiveness, and heart-rate variability. This crossover design included 27 participants (12-21 years) randomly assigned to order of intervention. Findings suggest that HM and THR manualized protocols are equally beneficial in decreasing cortisol levels immediately following a session, but HM sessions had more impact on heart-rate variability. There was no significant effect on follow-up cortisol levels within a week after either intervention, but THR had more impact on decreasing some self-reported stressors.
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