Brief Report: The Effects of Equine-Assisted Activities on the Social Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Sophie Anderson, Kerstin Meints
PMID 27457363WHAT IT FOUND
Fifteen children and adolescents with autism did not show improvement in overall adaptive behaviour or socialisation after a 6-week horse activity programme.
Parent-reported autism traits, maladaptive behaviour and empathy scores improved.
Key findings
01Parent-reported autism traits decreased after the programme.
02Maladaptive behaviour scores decreased after the programme.
03Communication and socialisation scores did not show improvement.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 15 participants. There was no control group, so before-and-after changes cannot be separated from other changes over time. The programme included therapeutic riding, horsemanship and stable management, so the contribution of any one component cannot be separated. Most outcomes were parent or carer reports, and caregiver identity showed an interaction on the ASQ, although follow-up did not confirm a significant difference. Participants were selected from a charity summer programme and had no prior horse experience, so results may not apply to other settings or children. All participants had limited verbal ability, but the paper did not use specific language tests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that therapeutic riding improved social functioning. The programme also included horsemanship and stable management, there was no control group, and overall adaptive behaviour, communication and socialisation did not improve, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.