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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Horse therapy

by  /  15 March 2013
THIS ARTICLE IS MORE THAN FIVE YEARS OLD

This article is more than five years old. Autism research — and science in general — is constantly evolving, so older articles may contain information or theories that have been reevaluated since their original publication date.

Anecdotal evidence and the results from several small studies suggest that children with autism benefit from interacting with dogs, horses and dolphins.  But most of these studies haven’t rigorously evaluated the benefits of animal therapy, and even fewer have looked at whether the potential benefits extend beyond the interaction with the animal to real-world settings, such as schools.

In a new study, published 1 February in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, researchers enlisted the help of schoolteachers to rate how horseback riding lessons influenced their students’ behaviors in the classroom.

In total, 21 children with autism attended 18 weekly hour-long classes. After the introductory ride, the instructors showed each child how to groom, ride and control the horse.

The teachers used two evaluations: the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale, an evaluation for ritualistic and repetitive behaviors, communication and social interaction, and the Sensory Profile School Companion, which assesses how children handle different levels of sensory exposure, such as noise.

The children showed no change in their ritualistic and repetitive behaviors or communication, but they did improve in their abilities to relate appropriately to people, events or objects.

Students whose interactions improved had better relationships with classmates at school, appeared to be more trusting of others and acted more engaged in school lessons, the researchers say.

The students also improved in their sensory tolerance: For example, those who initially felt easily overwhelmed by noise developed higher thresholds for stimulation, and others needed less prompting to participate in school lessons.

Potential bias:

As with other studies of animal therapies, however, one of the shortcomings of the study is that the teachers knew their students were learning to ride horses. That may have biased their perceptions of their students’ improvement. The study also didn’t compare the children who took horseback riding lessons with those who didn’t.

In another new study, published in PLoS One on 27 February, researchers compared how children with autism and controls play with guinea pigs versus toys.

The children with autism who played with guinea pigs looked more at others’ faces, had more physical contact with their typical peers and laughed more than they did when playing with toys. Their peers also approached them more often when they had guinea pigs rather than toys.

The horse therapy study also found that the benefits appear to be closely tied to riding.

Two six-week breaks — one planned and the other an unexpected spate of bad weather — showed that the children lost any gains they had made after they stopped riding. But, the improvements returned once they began riding again.

There are several theories as to why horseback riding may help children with autism. Riding requires motor skills and social engagement, abilities often hampered in children with autism. 

Once the horses respond to their commands, the children may be more attuned to the animal, improving their attention skills. Or the children may learn new skills from their riding instructors, who prompt them verbally and nonverbally and break down the lessons into manageable tasks.

The researchers next plan to test another group of students, but with a twist. Instead of immediately introducing the children to riding, they plan to do it in stages, first bringing them to the barn, then showing them how to groom the horses and finally letting them ride. That way, they say, it will become clear which aspect of the program is most helpful to children with autism.