Therapeutic Horseback Riding Crossover Effects of Attachment Behaviors with Family Pets in a Sample of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jessie D. Petty, Zhaoxing Pan, Briar Dechant and Robin L. Gabriels
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Jessie D. Petty: Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E. 16th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Zhaoxing Pan: Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E. 16th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Briar Dechant: Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E. 16th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Robin L. Gabriels: Children’s Hospital Colorado, 13123 E. 16th Ave, Aurora, CO 80045, USA

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-6

Abstract: The unique needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have implications for animal welfare. This nested pilot study examined the effects of a randomized trial of 10-week therapeutic horseback riding (THR) intervention versus a no-horse barn activity (BA) control group on children’s behaviors with family pets. Sixty-seven (THR n = 31; BA n = 36) participants with ASD (ages 6–16 years) with one or more family pet, were enrolled from a larger trial ( n = 116) following their randomization to intervention groups, stratified by nonverbal intellectual ability. A consistent caregiver completed questionnaires about participants’ interactions with their household pets pre- and post-intervention. Caregivers of THR group participants reported significant improvements in participants’ caring actions with the family pet compared with the BA group ( p = 0.013; effect size = 0.74). Engaging with horses during a standard THR intervention protocol may generalize to improving caring actions toward family pets in children and adolescents with ASD.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders; therapeutic horseback riding; pet relationships; human-animal interactions; animal assisted interventions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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