A influência da Equitação Terapêutica nas Perturbações do Espectro do Autismo em idade escolar: uma revisão sistemática da literatura

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in the social interactions, language and stereotyped behaviors, with an essential early intervention. Considering a multidisciplinary approach, Therapeutic Horse Riding has shown positive results in all areas of development. Specifically, in the motor development, several investigations have reported substantial improvements on motor skills acquisition, retention and transfer. Indeed, this systematic review aimed to analyze the influence of Therapeutic Horse Riding on the motor development of school-age children with ASD. To accomplish that objective, a systematic research was conducted in order to identify relevant studies about the benefits of this type of intervention among the study population. Systematic and criterions methods was been used to access to the main evidence extracted from the most relevant literature. The results suggest that Therapeutic Horse Riding can be considered an effective alternative therapeutic approach, with benefits on motor skills acquisition and learning. More concretely, improvements in gross motor skills have been overserved, for 6 months. Furthermore, this type of intervention stimulates simultaneously improvements in other skills, internally related with the motor development. Despite the positive evidence, the small number of investigations included in this review may affect the quality of the evidence and the degree of recommendation, being essential to develop further studies in this field. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is evidence in the literature that shows positive benefits about the Therapeutic Horse Riding in the motor development of school-age children with ASD.