Horse-based activities may help autistic youth with behavioral and emotional challenges
New research from the University of Colorado Anschutz provides strong evidence that horseback riding can help reduce hyperactivity and improve other behavioral and emotional challenges in children with autism and other psychiatric disorders.
A recent study from the University of Colorado Anschutz reveals that horseback riding may help alleviate behavioral and emotional challenges in children with autism and other psychiatric disorders. Published in Pediatrics, the research indicates that therapeutic riding could significantly reduce hyperactivity, irritability, and improve emotional regulation and social functioning for these children.
The study compared the effects of horseback riding, horse-related barn activities, and a waiting list control group. Both horse-related interventions showed improved outcomes compared to the control group. The researchers emphasize that equine-assisted therapy could serve as an alternative to drug therapy for managing autism symptoms, as it has fewer side effects.
The study also found that children could benefit from simply interacting with horses and learning about them through activities like handling a life-size stuffed toy horse, even if they are unable or unwilling to ride. This finding could provide an alternative for children who are not ready for horseback riding. The authors stress that while the findings do not guarantee that all children with autism will benefit from horseback riding, they add to growing evidence supporting structured horse-based activities as part of a comprehensive approach to addressing behavioral and emotional challenges in this population.
Further research is needed to determine which elements of the horse-human interaction contribute to the observed benefits.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
