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The Effects of Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program on Motor Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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
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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:
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2022, 24(4), 475-489. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.021361
Received 10 January 2022; Accepted 28 February 2022; Issue published 27 May 2022
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
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