Parent-reported behavioral changes following equine-assisted therapy in children with autism spectrum disorder: a...

Equine-assisted therapy (EAT) has received growing attention as a complementary approach associated with behavioral outcomes among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Previous studies have reported changes across behavioral and social domains following equine-assisted programs; however, evidence remains limited regarding the persistence of parent-reported behavioral changes over time. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine parent-reported behavioral changes following participation in a structured EAT program among children with ASD.

A total of 36 children with ASD (18 girls, 18 boys; mean age = 9.90 ± 1.44 years) participated in this longitudinal study. A single-group pretest-posttest design with a two-week follow-up assessment was employed. Behavioral outcomes were evaluated using the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) through face-to-face parent reports. The intervention consisted of EAT sessions held twice weekly for 8 weeks. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine changes across assessment points.

Significant differences were observed across measurement points in parent-reported ABC subdomains, including sensory-related behaviors, relationship-building, body and object use, social and self-care skills, and language-related behaviors (p < 0.01). Total ABC scores decreased from pretest to posttest, and some changes appeared to be partially maintained at follow-up. Effect size estimates suggested moderate-to-large within-group changes across parent-reported behavioral domains.

The findings suggest significant within-group changes in parent-reported ABC scores following participation in the EAT program. However, because physical literacy was not directly measured and the study lacked a control group, the findings should be interpreted as preliminary behavioral change patterns rather than evidence of causal intervention effects or physical literacy development. Further controlled studies with multidimensional assessment approaches are needed to clarify the specificity and long-term patterns of observed behavioral changes.

Identifier [NCT07131436].