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<\/a><\/p>\n2017 Research<\/b><\/h3>\n\nResearch Question: Does engagement in hippotherapy improve postural control and handwriting legibility in children with ASD?<\/span><\/p>\nResearch Description: The Central Nervous System (CNS) of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can become\u00a0disorganized, which can affect their social, emotional, communication, and language\u00a0functions. Hippotherapy can help a client\u2019s CNS become more organized through its repetitive and rhythmic nature, increasing the effectiveness of these functions.<\/p>\n
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) \u00a0exhibit difficulty with handwriting legibility. According to Scordella et. al (2015), 37% of elementary school-aged children struggle with handwriting legibility. Studies have shown that elementary school teachers attribute poor handwriting to poor postural control. Postural control not only affects handwriting, but it impacts all aspects of occupation. Many intervention approaches exist to assist in improving postural control. Hippotherapy is one intervention for improving postural control. While literature shows a link between involvement in hippotherapy and increased postural control in the population of children with Cerebral Palsy (Zadnikar & Kastrin, 2011), there is no research on hippotherapy as an intervention for postural control in children with ASD. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubjects will partake in four hippotherapy sessions held once a week for approximately one hour at Ride-on-Ranch in Lovettsville, VA.\u00a0 Subjects will be asked to commit to the schedule created by the student researchers on March 19, 26 and April 2 and 9th, 2016.\u00a0 The sessions will consist of subjects performing distinct tasks affiliated with gross and fine motor testing and development.\u00a0 This will be supervised by research coordinator and instructor, Autumn O\u2019Hara and conducted by student researchers.\u00a0 The instructor approved activities devised by the student researchers.<\/div>\n\nIn total 10 subjects will be chosen for this study once completed application and inclusion eligibility have been determined.\u00a0 Treatment sessions will consist of one to three subjects per session.\u00a0 Each session will be 45 minutes in length but may vary based on the introduction of study, cooperation of horse and client, testing duration, and transfers for up to four separate sessions per client.\u00a0 The treatment sessions will include up to three riders per 45 minute intervals.\u00a0 The subject\u2019s times will be staggered every 15 minutes so that proper instruction of testing items may be provided from researchers.\u00a0 For example, subject 1 will start at 1:00 pm and end at 1:45pm, subsequently another subject will begin at 1:15 pm and end at 2:00 pm, then another subject will start at 1:30 pm and end at 2:15 pm and so on until all 10 subjects have been tested.<\/p>\n
Certified Therapeutic Riding instructors or certified volunteers will aid in transferring the client on and off of the horse.\u00a0 If the subject at any time feels uncomfortable or chooses \u00a0not to participate they can stop at any time, it is their responsibility to notify the volunteers or instructor that they would like to stop and the instructor or volunteer will transfer the subject off of the horse.<\/p>\n
Quantitative data will be collected before and after individual treatment sessions with each subject via a pre and post-test using both standardized and nonstandardized assessments such as the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA) and the Nintendo Wii\u2122 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBalance Board (NWBB) A student researcher, to establish a baseline for handwriting skill, will conduct the MHA to a subject before hippotherapy intervention.\u00a0 The subject will then participate in a virtual reality simulation to establish a quantitative baseline measurement of balance using the NWBB with a student researcher. The pre and post-test will be video recorded and results will be translated by a researcher to a spreadsheet in order to ensure accurate records. The subject will then participate in a hippotherapy session with the horse and certified volunteers.\u00a0 Post-test data will then be gathered after the intervention.\u00a0 The subject will participate in a virtual reality simulation via NWBB to establish post intervention effects on balance.\u00a0 Quantitative data will be gathered via gaming report.\u00a0 Data on handwriting performance will then be measured by having the subject complete the MHA again to identify post intervention changes in gross and fine motor performance.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRaw data will be converted to analyzable data via SPSS or Excel application using descriptive statistics such as ANOVA or T-Tests.\u00a0 Security of all analyzable data will be kept under locked files on a blind researchers\u2019 computer. Upon analyzing data, researchers will randomly sort client\u2019s performance on MHA and NWBB via a random number generator found online to decrease researcher biases. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shenandoah University Research 2017 Research Research Question: Does engagement in hippotherapy improve postural control and handwriting legibility in children with ASD? Research Description: The Central Nervous System (CNS) of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can become\u00a0disorganized, which can affect their … Continue reading
Research Question: Does engagement in hippotherapy improve postural control and handwriting legibility in children with ASD?<\/span><\/p>\n Research Description: The Central Nervous System (CNS) of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can become\u00a0disorganized, which can affect their social, emotional, communication, and language\u00a0functions. Hippotherapy can help a client\u2019s CNS become more organized through its repetitive and rhythmic nature, increasing the effectiveness of these functions.<\/p>\n Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) \u00a0exhibit difficulty with handwriting legibility. According to Scordella et. al (2015), 37% of elementary school-aged children struggle with handwriting legibility. Studies have shown that elementary school teachers attribute poor handwriting to poor postural control. Postural control not only affects handwriting, but it impacts all aspects of occupation. Many intervention approaches exist to assist in improving postural control. Hippotherapy is one intervention for improving postural control. While literature shows a link between involvement in hippotherapy and increased postural control in the population of children with Cerebral Palsy (Zadnikar & Kastrin, 2011), there is no research on hippotherapy as an intervention for postural control in children with ASD. <\/span><\/p>\n In total 10 subjects will be chosen for this study once completed application and inclusion eligibility have been determined.\u00a0 Treatment sessions will consist of one to three subjects per session.\u00a0 Each session will be 45 minutes in length but may vary based on the introduction of study, cooperation of horse and client, testing duration, and transfers for up to four separate sessions per client.\u00a0 The treatment sessions will include up to three riders per 45 minute intervals.\u00a0 The subject\u2019s times will be staggered every 15 minutes so that proper instruction of testing items may be provided from researchers.\u00a0 For example, subject 1 will start at 1:00 pm and end at 1:45pm, subsequently another subject will begin at 1:15 pm and end at 2:00 pm, then another subject will start at 1:30 pm and end at 2:15 pm and so on until all 10 subjects have been tested.<\/p>\n Certified Therapeutic Riding instructors or certified volunteers will aid in transferring the client on and off of the horse.\u00a0 If the subject at any time feels uncomfortable or chooses \u00a0not to participate they can stop at any time, it is their responsibility to notify the volunteers or instructor that they would like to stop and the instructor or volunteer will transfer the subject off of the horse.<\/p>\n Quantitative data will be collected before and after individual treatment sessions with each subject via a pre and post-test using both standardized and nonstandardized assessments such as the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA) and the Nintendo Wii\u2122 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Shenandoah University Research 2017 Research Research Question: Does engagement in hippotherapy improve postural control and handwriting legibility in children with ASD? Research Description: The Central Nervous System (CNS) of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder can become\u00a0disorganized, which can affect their … Continue reading