Effects of Equine Assisted Activity on Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectru Disorder
Faculty Advisor Name
Gerald Weniger
Description
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses a spectrum of disorders which are characterized as having impaired communication skills, social skills and repetitive behaviors or body movements.1 Since every individual with ASD presents with different challenges, treatment modalities for ASD are quite diverse. Equine Assisted Activity (EAA), including therapeutic horseback riding (THR), is a form of animal assisted therapy provided by a riding instructor that is now being utilized for individuals with ASD.2 It is the emphasis of control, focus, sensory management, attention and both verbal and nonverbal communication that are at the core of the therapy. It is thought that contact with horses, stimulates a psychological, social and physiological response in the children and adolescents.3 This study examines the the use of EAA and the effect it has on children and adolescents with ASD, including their behavior and level of adaptive functioning on both a short term and long term basis. From 2002 to 2010, ASD prevalence increased by nearly 123%.7 As more children are being diagnosed with ASD, and because of the diverse nature of the disorder, a broad variety of treatment modalities have become available. EAA has shown improvement in children and adolescents’ behavior, cognitive, social and emotional functioning. However, due to the limited number of studies available and the small sample sizes of published studies (including the studies in this review), there are still many unanswered questions about the effectiveness of EAA long term. Larger scale studies with an even distribution of males to females should be conducted in the future to determine both the short and long term effects EAA has on behavioral and adaptive functioning in children and adolescents with ASD.
Poster
Effects of Equine Assisted Activity on Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectru Disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompasses a spectrum of disorders which are characterized as having impaired communication skills, social skills and repetitive behaviors or body movements.1 Since every individual with ASD presents with different challenges, treatment modalities for ASD are quite diverse. Equine Assisted Activity (EAA), including therapeutic horseback riding (THR), is a form of animal assisted therapy provided by a riding instructor that is now being utilized for individuals with ASD.2 It is the emphasis of control, focus, sensory management, attention and both verbal and nonverbal communication that are at the core of the therapy. It is thought that contact with horses, stimulates a psychological, social and physiological response in the children and adolescents.3 This study examines the the use of EAA and the effect it has on children and adolescents with ASD, including their behavior and level of adaptive functioning on both a short term and long term basis. From 2002 to 2010, ASD prevalence increased by nearly 123%.7 As more children are being diagnosed with ASD, and because of the diverse nature of the disorder, a broad variety of treatment modalities have become available. EAA has shown improvement in children and adolescents’ behavior, cognitive, social and emotional functioning. However, due to the limited number of studies available and the small sample sizes of published studies (including the studies in this review), there are still many unanswered questions about the effectiveness of EAA long term. Larger scale studies with an even distribution of males to females should be conducted in the future to determine both the short and long term effects EAA has on behavioral and adaptive functioning in children and adolescents with ASD.
