Motor Skill Proficiency After Equine-assisted Activities and Brain-building Tasks

NCT ID: NCT04158960

Last Updated: 2019-11-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 25 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2015-02-01
• Study Completion Date: 2018-05-31

Brief Summary

There is no current research to support the efficacy of a combination of equine-assisted activities (EAA) and brain building activities to influence motor skill competencies in youth with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND). The primary objective of this study was to quantify changes in motor skill proficiency before and after 8 weeks of EAA and brain-building activities in youth with ND. A secondary objective was to quantify changes in motor skill proficiency before and after 1 year of EAA and brain-building activities in youth with ND.

Detailed Description

Twenty-five youth completed the same 32-week protocol that was separated into 4, 8-week blocks, in the following order: a) control, b) EAA-only, c) washout, and d) GaitWay block (EAA and brain building activities). Before and after each block, motor skills were assessed using the Short Form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Version 2 (BOT-2). Seven youth continued with the GaitWay intervention for one additional year, and the BOT-2 Short Form was also administered following this intervention. A repeated-measures analysis-of-variance was performed to compare BOT-2 subtest and overall scores between interventions. A significance of .05 was used. Manual dexterity was higher at Post-Washout versus Pre-Control (p = .018) and Post-Control (p = .024), and at Post-GaitWay versus Pre-Control (p = .037). Upper-limb coordination was higher Post-GaitWay versus Post-Control (p = .050). When compared to Pre-Control, strength was higher at Post-EAA (p = .028) and at Post-GaitWay (p = .015). Overall scores were higher at Post-GaitWay when compared to Pre-Control (p = .003) and Post-Control (p = .009). Among the seven participants who participated in the 1-year follow-up GaitWay motor skills were maintained for one year following the Post-GaitWay testing session. A combination of EAA and brain building activities may be an effective therapeutic modality to improve and maintain motor skill proficiency in youth with ND.

Conditions

Motor Delay; Motor Skills Disorders; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Attention Deficit Hyper Activity; Intellectual Disability; Sensory Disorders

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Control

Control period; no equine-assisted activities or brain-building activities occurred

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Equine-assisted activities period

Period in which only equine-assisted activities were performed

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Equine-assisted activities

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants performed riding-related activities on and off of a horse once per week for 8 weeks

Washout

Washout period; no equine-assisted activities or brain-building activities occurred

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

GaitWay period

Period in which both equine-assisted activities and brain-building activities were performed

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

GaitWay program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants performed riding-related activities on and off of a horse, along with brain-building activities including balance tasks, swinging, spinning, music therapy, and sensory tasks, all once per week for 8 weeks

Interventions

Equine-assisted activities

Participants performed riding-related activities on and off of a horse once per week for 8 weeks

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

GaitWay program

Participants performed riding-related activities on and off of a horse, along with brain-building activities including balance tasks, swinging, spinning, music therapy, and sensory tasks, all once per week for 8 weeks

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

EAA; GW

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• age 5 to 18 years
• diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder (as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5))
• had the ability to follow verbal directions,
• Clearance to participate from a medical professional

Exclusion Criteria

• a perfect score on the motor proficiency test at the first testing session
• presence of seizures within the past 6 months controlled by medication
• a known allergy to horses
• any surgical procedures performed within the 6 months
• regular horseback riding experience of any kind during the past year

• Minimum Eligible Age: 5 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Texas Woman's University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Rhett Rigby

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Brandon R Rigby, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Texas Woman's University

References

Rigby BR, Davis RW, Bittner MD, Harwell RW, Leek EJ, Johnson GA, Nichols DL. Changes in Motor Skill Proficiency After Equine-Assisted Activities and Brain-Building Tasks in Youth With Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Front Vet Sci. 2020 Jan 31;7:22. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00022. eCollection 2020.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 32083104 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

17959

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id