Self-Regulation Mediates Therapeutic Horseback Riding Social Functioning Outcomes in Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests therapeutic horseback riding improves self-regulation behaviors, social functioning, and language in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been theorized that interacting with horses is calming for youth with ASD, which may influence social and language outcomes. The current study is an exploratory secondary mediation analysis of a previously published randomized controlled trial of therapeutic horseback riding for youth with ASD. We hypothesized that self-regulation would mediate therapeutic horseback riding's effect on social and language outcomes in youth with ASD. Results indicate that self-regulation mediates therapeutic horseback riding's effect on social, but not language outcomes. This paper provides support for the hypothesis that interacting with horses may have a calming effect that serves as a platform for improving social outcomes in youth with autism.

Effects of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…AAIs include a variety of animals, such as dogs, horses, rabbits, dolphins, guinea pigs, and llamas, and incorporating animals into therapeutic treatments appears to effectively decrease the problematic behaviors and improve social communication for ASD populations [28]. In numerous emerging studies in recent years, researchers have laid the groundwork for the use of AAIs to assist individuals with ASD in regulating their emotions, improving their cognitive domains and social communication functioning, engaging in prosocial actions, and reducing maladaptive repetitive behaviors that are associated with stress [28][29][30][31][32][33].…”

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