University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
University of Limerick, Ireland.
Autism. 2024 Dec;28(12):3002-3014. doi: 10.1177/13623613241255294. Epub 2024 May 30.
Equine-assisted services use various aspects of horses, like their movement, warmth, and size, to enhance individuals' overall well-being. Many studies have underscored the positive impact of equine-assisted services on autistic children, affecting areas such as social interaction, communication, engagement, stereotypical behaviors, and motor functions. Given the growing recognition of motor functions as clinical specifiers in autism, it is imperative to specifically investigate how equine-assisted services influence these outcomes. To address this, we conducted a systematic review to synthesize existing literature on the effects of equine-assisted services on motor outcomes of autistic children. Our review encompassed study characteristics, features of equine-assisted service interventions, and major motor outcomes. We also evaluated the methodological quality of the equine-assisted service studies to offer insights for future research directions. Through thorough database searches and the use of the standardized procedure of conducting a systematic review (The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses), 12 research studies were identified and included. These studies reported the effects of various equine-assisted service types (such as therapy, horsemanship, or learning) on motor outcomes of autistic children. Significant enhancements in coordination, strength, balance, posture, and overall motor skills indicate the effectiveness of equine-assisted services in improving motor outcomes of autistic children. Building on these findings, we provide recommendations for future research endeavors aimed at enhancing the reliability and validity of using equine-assisted services to improve motor outcomes of autistic children. This work contributes to a deeper understanding of how equine-assisted services can benefit this population and guides the development of more effective equine-assisted service interventions.
马术辅助服务利用马的各种特性，如运动、温暖和体型，来增强个体的整体幸福感。许多研究强调了马术辅助服务对自闭症儿童的积极影响，影响的领域包括社交互动、沟通、参与、刻板行为和运动功能。鉴于运动功能作为自闭症的临床特征越来越受到认可，因此必须特别研究马术辅助服务如何影响这些结果。为了解决这个问题，我们进行了一项系统综述，以综合现有的关于马术辅助服务对自闭症儿童运动结果影响的文献。我们的综述包括了研究特征、马术辅助服务干预的特点和主要的运动结果。我们还评估了马术辅助服务研究的方法学质量，为未来的研究方向提供了见解。通过彻底的数据库搜索和使用系统综述的标准化程序（系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目），确定并纳入了 12 项研究。这些研究报告了各种马术辅助服务类型（如治疗、马术或学习）对自闭症儿童运动结果的影响。协调、力量、平衡、姿势和整体运动技能的显著提高表明，马术辅助服务在改善自闭症儿童运动结果方面是有效的。在此基础上，我们为未来旨在提高马术辅助服务改善自闭症儿童运动结果的可靠性和有效性的研究工作提供了建议。这项工作有助于更深入地了解马术辅助服务如何使这一人群受益，并指导开发更有效的马术辅助服务干预措施。
