Motor Skill Proficiency After Equine-assisted Activities and Brain-building Tasks

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Attention Deficit Hyper Activity; Intellectual Disability; Sensory Disorders; Motor Delay; Motor Skills Disorders; Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Interventions: Behavioral: GaitWay program; Behavioral: Equine-assisted activities

• Registration Number: NCT04158960
• Lead Sponsor: Texas Woman's University

Brief Summary

There is no current research to support the efficacy of a combination of equine-assisted activities (EAA) and brain building activities to influence motor skill competencies in youth with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND). The primary objective of this study was to quantify changes in motor skill proficiency before and after 8 weeks of EAA and brain-building activities in youth with ND. A secondary objective was to quantify changes in motor skill proficiency before and after 1 year of EAA and brain-building activities in youth with ND.

Detailed Description

Twenty-five youth completed the same 32-week protocol that was separated into 4, 8-week blocks, in the following order: a) control, b) EAA-only, c) washout, and d) GaitWay block (EAA and brain building activities). Before and after each block, motor skills were assessed using the Short Form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Version 2 (BOT-2). Seven youth continued with the GaitWay intervention for one additional year, and the BOT-2 Short Form was also administered following this intervention. A repeated-measures analysis-of-variance was performed to compare BOT-2 subtest and overall scores between interventions. A significance of .05 was used. Manual dexterity was higher at Post-Washout versus Pre-Control (p = .018) and Post-Control (p = .024), and at Post-GaitWay versus Pre-Control (p = .037). Upper-limb coordination was higher Post-GaitWay versus Post-Control (p = .050). When compared to Pre-Control, strength was higher at Post-EAA (p = .028) and at Post-GaitWay (p = .015). Overall scores were higher at Post-GaitWay when compared to Pre-Control (p = .003) and Post-Control (p = .009). Among the seven participants who participated in the 1-year follow-up GaitWay motor skills were maintained for one year following the Post-GaitWay testing session. A combination of EAA and brain building activities may be an effective therapeutic modality to improve and maintain motor skill proficiency in youth with ND.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-02-01
• Primary Completion: 2018-05-31
• Study Completion: 2018-05-31
• Status Verified: 2019-11
• Study First Submitted: 2019-11-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-11-06
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-11-06
• Study First Posted: 2019-11-12
• Last Update Posted: 2019-11-12

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 25

Inclusion Criteria

• age 5 to 18 years
• diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder (as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5))
• had the ability to follow verbal directions,
• Clearance to participate from a medical professional

Read More

Exclusion Criteria

• a perfect score on the motor proficiency test at the first testing session
• presence of seizures within the past 6 months controlled by medication
• a known allergy to horses
• any surgical procedures performed within the 6 months
• regular horseback riding experience of any kind during the past year

Read More

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
GaitWay period	GaitWay program	Period in which both equine-assisted activities and brain-building activities were performed
Equine-assisted activities period	Equine-assisted activities	Period in which only equine-assisted activities were performed

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Fine motor precision	0-5 minutes	Subtest #1 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include drawing through lines, folding paper. Each task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-7 (with 7 representing the best outcome).
Fine motor integration	0-5 minutes	Subtest #2 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Task includes copying a star and a square. The task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-5 (with 5 representing the best outcome).
Manual dexterity	15 seconds	Subtest #3 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Task includes transferring pennies. The task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-9 (with 9 representing the best outcome).
Bilateral coordination	0-5 minutes	Subtest #4 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include jumping in place with arms and legs on same side of the body synchronized, and tapping feet and fingers simultaneously, with hands and feet on the same side of the body synchronized. The jumping task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-3 (with 3 representing the best outcome). The tapping task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-4 (with 4 representing the best outcome).
Balance	1 minute	Subtest #5 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include walking forward on a line, standing on one leg on a balance beam with eyes open. Each task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-4 (with 4 representing the best outcome).
Strength	1 minute	Subtest #8 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include knee push-ups and sit-ups. Each task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-10 (with 10 representing the best outcome).
Overall Motor Skill Scores	2 minutes	Sum of all scores from the 8 subtests of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Total scores can range from 0-88 (with 88 representing the best outcome)
Running speed and agility	15 seconds	Subtest #6 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Task includes one-legged stationary hop. The task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-10 (with 10 representing the best outcome).
Upper-limb coordination	0-5 minutes	Subtest #7 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include dropping and catching a ball with both hands, dribbling a ball with alternating hands. The dropping and catching task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-5 (with 5 representing the best outcome). The dribbling task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-7 (with 7 representing the best outcome).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Caregiver reports	5 minutes	Anecdotal reports from caregivers regarding progress of the participant