Autistic Children Improve Skills through Hippotherapy

Hippotherapy, a type of physical and occupational therapy that includes horseback riding, can be successful in improving balance, social responsiveness, and other skills in autistic children. This is the conclusion of research conducted by a team of scientists from Washington University in St. Louis.

Autism is a brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate with and relate to others. There is a wide range of symptoms, including the possibility of coordination and concentration problems, sensory challenges including tactile defensiveness, and developmental delays in fine and gross motor skills. The degree to which a particular child is affected varies. Because of the variety of expression in individuals, the disorder is often known as autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.

Autistic children have taken part in hippotherapy programs for a number of years, but this study was one of the first to use objective data to measure the results. Research team members collected quantitative data and also used qualitative standardized clinical scales to measure changes in balance and behavior for 13 children who participated in the 12-week study. Each child rode for 45 minutes once a week.

Hippotherapy has been used to improve various skills in children with deficits caused by several conditions in addition to ASD. In a hippotherapy program, a mounted child is steadied by one or two sidewalkers while the horse is led by another helper. Other assistants may throw balls or other objects to be caught and returned by the riders. The rider can be asked to stretch his or her arms and legs and touch various parts of the saddle and horse.

The perfect hippotherapy mount is a mature horse or pony that is calm, steady, and unbothered by noise, shifts in rider balance, and the appearance of balls, flags, and other equipment. Benefits seen in participants have included increased trunk strength and control, better balance, stronger posture, improved motor planning, and gains in tactile and vestibular sensory skills and motor planning. Adjusting to the horse’s movements seems to help participants facilitate abilities such as muscular coordination, grading of responses, respiratory control, and attentional skills.

In this study, researchers reported significant improvements in balance for the participants. It was suggested that this gain could help the children participate in many activities that might have previously been difficult for them. Interviews with parents indicated some significant improvements in social responsiveness, sensory response, and adaptive behaviors in home, school, and playground settings. According to the parents, children in the program showed better listening skills, became less stubborn or sullen, showed more confidence during participation in leisure activities, played and interacted more appropriately with their peers, and gained better body awareness throughout the course of the study.

Funding for the study was provided by the Horses and Humans Research Foundation.