Browne Jacqueline M, Reega Sarah Jean, Rankins Ellen M, Schmid Arlene A, Peters B Caitlin
Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Temple Grandin Equine Center, Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Apr 8;15(4):495. doi: 10.3390/bs15040495.
Autistic children often have impaired self-regulation which can impact daily functioning and life outcomes. Occupational Therapy Using Zones of Regulation™ Concepts in an Equine Environment (OT-ZOR-Equine) is a standardized intervention that integrates both the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum and horses into occupational therapy to address self-regulation in autistic children. We aimed to assess the acceptability of OT-ZOR-Equine to participating autistic children. A qualitative descriptive research study was conducted with six autistic children ages 7-9 years who received ten weeks of OT-ZOR-Equine. Children participated in semi-structured interviews that used questions guided by the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability. We analyzed interview transcripts using directed content analysis. Autistic children found OT-ZOR-Equine to be generally acceptable. The children especially enjoyed horse riding but found the Zones of Regulation™ curriculum and certain aspects of riding to be less acceptable. Tailoring OT-ZOR-Equine to integrate each client's preferences and needs may make this intervention more acceptable to autistic children. The findings of this study support the continued use of and research on OT-ZOR-Equine or similar occupational therapy interventions that integrate horses to influence self-regulation in autistic children.
自闭症儿童往往存在自我调节障碍，这会影响他们的日常功能和生活质量。在马术环境中运用“调节区域”概念的职业疗法（OT-ZOR-Equine）是一种标准化干预措施，它将“调节区域”课程与马匹融入职业疗法，以解决自闭症儿童的自我调节问题。我们旨在评估OT-ZOR-Equine对参与研究的自闭症儿童的可接受性。对六名7至9岁接受了为期十周OT-ZOR-Equine治疗的自闭症儿童进行了一项定性描述性研究。孩子们参与了半结构化访谈，访谈问题基于可接受性理论框架进行设计。我们使用定向内容分析法对访谈记录进行了分析。自闭症儿童发现OT-ZOR-Equine总体上是可以接受的。孩子们尤其喜欢骑马，但认为“调节区域”课程以及骑马的某些方面不太容易接受。根据每个客户的偏好和需求量身定制OT-ZOR-Equine可能会使这种干预措施更容易被自闭症儿童接受。本研究结果支持继续使用OT-ZOR-Equine或类似的将马匹融入其中以影响自闭症儿童自我调节的职业疗法干预措施，并支持对此类措施进行研究。
