Date of Award

4-2024

Degree Type

Capstone Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Emily Fields

Second Advisor

Holly Grieves

Abstract

Therapeutic horseback riding (TR) can be beneficial to various populations, such as individuals with disabilities, trauma, behavioral problems, anxiety, developmental delay, depression, and learning challenges. However, individuals come with a variety of complex needs and diagnoses, therefore more research is needed to determine how TR impacts the individual. Specifically, there is a lack of understanding of how the individual’s behavior, learning, and sensory processing is affected by TR intervention. Therefore, this study examined the effects of TR on childhood sensory processing and at-risk academic occupational performance in reading as it relates to behavior and attention. A single subject ABA design was used with baseline observations 1 week prior to the start of program at the school, weekly observation during a six-week RRRC intervention, and follow-up observations after intervention end. Parents and the teacher completed the Sensory Processing Measure before and after the program to provide sensory processing information for the home and classroom, and off-task behavior tallied in each observation session. Additionally, one Goal Attainment Scale goal was written for each child based on a problem area and measured twice during the study. Results indicated that off-task behavior when reading decreased with the therapeutic riding intervention, although Sensory Processing Measure results were unchanged. This study suggests that a combined therapeutic riding and reading program may be a potential method to impact off-task behavior when reading, through the medium of the horse, although further research is recommended to understand the relationship between the positive effects of TR and decreased off-task behaviors when reading.

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