The Effects of Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program on Motor Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Mengxian Zhao¹, Yonghao You², Jinming Li³, Sean Healy⁴, Alyx Taylor⁵, Zhihao Zhang³, Linlin Li⁶, Liye Zou^7,*
1 School of Physical Education, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
2 Department of Sports Science, Hefei Normal University, Hefei, 230601, China
3 Body-Brain-Mind Laboratory, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China
4 School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland
5 School of Rehabilitation, Sport and Psychology, AECC University College, Bournemouth, BH5S2DF, UK
6 School of Sport Social Science, Shandong Sport University, Jinan, 250102, China
7 Key Laboratory of Adolescent Health Assessment and Exercise Intervention of Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, China
* Corresponding Author: Liye Zou. Email: liyezou123@gmail.com

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.021361

Received 10 January 2022; Accepted 28 February 2022; Published online 29 March 2022

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Abstract

Therapeutic horseback riding (THR) as an animal-assisted intervention is one of the innovative approaches emerging in the treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study was designed to investigate the effects of a 12-week, twice a week THR program on motor skills in sixty-eight children with ASD aged 5–10 years old. All participants selected met the DSM-V criteria for ASD, and a total of fifty-three participants completed the study. A randomized controlled trial design was utilized for the study. Data was collected via a pre-THR test, interim-THR test, and post-THR test to investigate the possible changes in motor skills throughout the 12-week THR program. Results showed that the THR program significantly improved overall motor skills across time points (p < 0.05) and sub-skills of run, gallop and two-hand catch (as compared to the control group, p < 0.05). In conclusion, the THR program may be an effective option for improving motor skills in children with ASD and further investigation with a longer period of intervention is warranted.

Keywords

Therapeutic horseback riding; animal-assisted intervention; motor skills; children with ASD; autistic; developmental disability; equine-assisted activities and therapies