Effect of hippotherapy on performance skills of autism

Abstract

Observation and buddy assessment had been introduced to military staffs while using a standard program of hippotherapy in twelve children with autism. The informal assessment form had been developed using a framework of program evaluation in occupational therapy. Three domains were included using a scale from 0 (no observable performance), 1 (least observable performance) to 10 (most observable performance): motor skills (3 items), processing skills (4 items), and communication skills (3 items). Scoring sheets came from two staffs per group session of hippotherapy was analyzed with a high intrareliability (ICC 2, 1 = 0.91). Repeated assessments were conducted after the 1st, 6th, and 12th session of hippotherapy (60 min per session, 2 sessions a week). The results showed a significant improvement of all domains after the 12th session of hippotherapy. The routine to research of program evaluation in occupational therapy highly contributed a beneficial process to a community model of using hippotherapy for autism