N/A N=30 Basic Science

Effectiveness of a 6-week Hippotherapy Program in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Bottom Line

View on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04772898 ↗

Enrolled (actual)

Serious AEs

0.0%

Results posted

Mar 2024

Primary outcome: Primary: Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) — 16.5; 89.06; 14.5; 79.8 Points

Study Design & Population

Study type: Interventional
Phase: N/A
Interventions: Hippotherapy (Behavioral)
Age: Pediatric · 5+ yrs
Sex: All
Sponsor: Creighton University
Primary completion: Jul 2022

Outcome Measures

Outcome	Result	p-value
PRIMARY Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS)	16.5; 89.06; 14.5; 79.8	—
PRIMARY Postural Control	0.525; 0.48; 0.53; 0.57	—
PRIMARY Cross Sample Entropy Between the Heart Rate Sensors of the Horse and Rider	0.685; 0.512; 0.644; 0.578; 0.681; 0.564	—
SECONDARY Correlation Between Horse Temperament and Therapeutic Outcomes	—	—
SECONDARY Aberrant Behavior Checklist	—	—

Summary

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased dramatically in the last decade. The increasing occurrence of ASD creates an imperative need to test the effectiveness and efficacy mechanisms of appropriate interventions. Hippotherapy (HPOT) is a treatment option that has been show beneficial for children with ASD as well as other children with developmental disorders. The current projects focuses on understanding the mechanisms of HPOT efficacy and evaluating a short-term HPOT program for children with ASD.

Eligibility Criteria

For the children with Autism Spectrum Disorders:

Inclusion Criteria

diagnosis of ASD based upon the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and parent interview,
medical approval for participation in the HPOT activity,
no other medical or psychiatric diagnoses besides ASD
tolerate helmet on head and attachments of the movement and heart rate sensors.

The inclusion criteria for the TD children will be:

no diagnosis or family history of ASD
no other neurodevelopmental or musculoskeletal disorder
tolerate helmet on head and attachments of the movement and heart rate sensors.
medical approval for participation in the HPOT activity,

Exclusion Criteria

under 5 years of age or over 10 years of age
has a serious comorbid medical diagnosis
major vision or hearing impairments
severe behavioral problems
an orthopedic or genetic diagnosis

View full record on ClinicalTrials.gov →

Data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04772898). Outcome figures and adverse-event rates are extracted automatically from the registry's posted results and are provided for clinician reference, not as a substitute for the primary publication.