THE EFFECT OF THERAPEUTIC RIDING ON SOME MOTOR SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

Abstract

Asperger syndrome (AS) is a developmental disorder associated with autism, characterized by repetitive behaviour, significant movement disturbance, including some poor motor skills and clumsiness. Therapeutic riding (TR) focuses on the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of the rider. TR is a form of the physical, occupational and speech therapy that uses the specific movements of equestrian therapeutic techniques to facilitate normal muscle tone and to enhance balance, coordination, and motor development. PURPOSE: The aim is to evaluate the impact of therapeutic riding on motor skills of children with AS. METHODS: Changes in posture were assessed using the Posture Assessment Scale and child’s coordination in everyday functional activities using the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ’2007).Five children with AS, aged 4.9-year-old to 7.2-year-old participated in the study. RESULTS: We registered some improvements during the horseback riding course: better head and posture position and fine motor/handwriting general coordination. CONCLUSION: Although the study is only a pilot one with a small group of participants, the results clearly show that Therapeutic riding causes positive changes of some motor skills for children with AS.

Keywords

• equine assisted therapy
• autism spectrum disorder
• motor learning
• performance