Effectiveness of a 6-week hippotherapy program in children with autism spectrum disorder

项目总结 在过去的十年中，自闭症谱系障碍(ASD)的发病率急剧上升。这个 来自疾病控制和预防中心的最新报告称，每59名儿童中就有1名患有 被诊断为自闭症，在男孩中的患病率是女孩的四倍。儿童慢性病的常见治疗方法 ASD是应用行为疗法、职业疗法和言语疗法，单独使用或在 组合。海马疗法(HPOT)是另一种已被证明具有积极影响的治疗方案 行为的各个方面。这一试点项目旨在确定为期6周的HPOT计划对 自闭症儿童的运动和社会行为，并探讨其潜在机制 HPOT对ASD的治疗是成功的，它通过生理和气质反应的偶联 马和骑手。我们的方法包括在HPOT干预之前、期间和之后检查这些技能 被诊断为自闭症的儿童。一批年龄匹配、发育典型的儿童将作为 对照组。马与骑手生理耦合和气质的创新措施 以及对运动、社会行为和照顾者感知的客观和定量测量 收好了。我们预期在建议的研究完成后，我们会提供所需的 为理解HPOT的机制奠定了基础，从而为临床试验提供了新的框架 HPOT和人与动物的相互作用，最终改善被诊断为ASD的患者和他们的生活 家人。

PROJECT SUMMARY The incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased dramatically in the last decade. The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that 1 in 59 children are being diagnosed with ASD and it is four times more prevalent in boys than girls. Common treatments for children with ASD are applied behavioral therapy, occupational and speech therapy, which are used solely or in combination. Hippotherapy (HPOT) is another treatment option that has been shown to positively impact various aspects of behavior. This pilot project aims to determine the effects of a 6-week HPOT program on movement and social behavior of children with ASD and to investigate the underlying mechanisms of why HPOT is successful for ASD through the coupling of physiological and temperamental responses between horse and rider. Our approach involves examining these skills pre, during, and post HPOT intervention in children diagnosed with ASD. A group of aged matched children with typical development will serve as the control group. Innovative measures of physiological coupling and temperament between horse and rider as well as objective and quantitative measures of movement and social behavior and caregiver perception will be collected. We anticipate that following completion of the proposed study, we will provide the necessary foundation to understand the mechanisms of HPOT, and thus provide a new framework to test clinical trials of HPOT and human-animal interaction, and ultimately improve the lives of those diagnosed with ASD and their families.