Equine-assisted Occupational Therapy for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Registration Number: NCT02714101
• Lead Sponsor: University of Alberta

Brief Summary

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulty engaging in activities. This study examined the effects of equine-assisted occupational therapy for 7 children with ASD ages 4 to 8 years. A multiple baseline design was used. For each child, there were 9 to 11 baseline assessments, 9 to 12 intervention sessions, and 4 follow-up sessions.

Detailed Description

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty engaging in activities. Based on the literature, the unique features of horses may be beneficial to children with ASD. There is limited research supporting the use of horses in occupational therapy interventions. This study examined the effects of equine-assisted occupational therapy for 7 children with ASD ages 4 to 8 years. A multiple baseline design was used. For each child, there were 9 to 11 baseline assessments (gross and fine motor play activities), 9 to 12 intervention sessions, and 4 follow-up sessions (gross and fine motor play activities). Intervention sessions were 40 to 60 minutes long and consisted of time spent on the horse and in horse related activities. Children were videorecorded in all conditions. Trained coders scored randomly selected segments of the video recording. Inter-rater reliability was good.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-06
• Primary Completion: 2012-12
• Study Completion: 2013-09
• Status Verified: 2016-03
• Study First Submitted: 2016-03-06
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-03-15
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-03-15
• Study First Posted: 2016-03-21
• Last Update Posted: 2016-03-21

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 8

Inclusion Criteria

• diagnosis of Autism spectrum disorder by a multidisciplinary team,
• between ages 3 and 8,
• understand basic English,
• willing to ride a horse, no horse riding in the past 3 months.

Exclusion Criteria

• severe of repeated aggressive behaviour,
• comorbidities such as deafness that would interfere with intervention.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Rater coding of engagement	One 5 minute segment per session for five months	Trained coders rated the proportion of time the child was engaged in the activities

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Rater coding of enjoyment	One 5 minute segment per session for five months	Trained coders rated the number of times the child expressed enjoyment.