Impacto de un programa de equitación terapéutica en la mejora de la psicomotricidad de niños autistas

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of an educational intervention and program development with children and adolescents who suffer from autism intervention technique using hippotherapy and therapeutic horseback riding. Hippotherapy is a therapeutic intervention that uses the horse within an interdisciplinary approach, both at the levels of health and sport search incessant physical, psychological well-being and social of people with disabilities or with special educational needs. This text presents the results of a study whose central objective is to know the multiple benefits of Hippotherapy and therapeutic horseback riding in the psychomotor development of five children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders. Many are the benefits provided by this technique, starting from the three-dimensional motion of this animal we get numerous benefits to motor level normalization of muscle tone deficit, improving coordination, reflexes and motor planning, reduce abnormal movement patterns, improving balance and strengthen the musculature as well as help reduce spasticity. This year on the back of the horse provides a high degree of muscle relaxation favoring easing and improving fitness in general. The design of the study was descriptive qualitative cutting, in which we have used as a method of research case study. The evaluated program was carried out during a school year, nine months, with a periodicity of four sessions a month, one session per week. Recording techniques used have been the observation, a questionnaire and a field journal. This triangulation of techniques has allowed us a saturation of data to demonstrate the multiple advantages of Hippotherapy in these children psychomotor development. Among the most outstanding results we can draw benefits as the improvement in balance and posture. A considerable strengthening of the muscles was observed in all cases under study. Without exception we have seen visible improvements both in their fine motor as thick and in the vast majority of sessions, an optimum level of muscle relaxation for work and the psychomotor therapy, as well as the almost total elimination of stereotypic movements during the equestrian activity has been.