A Controlledstudy Of 12-week Equine Intervention For Children With Autism And Near-mid-term Maintenance Effects

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder,also known as autism,is a psychiatric disorder that occurs in early childhood and is characterised by narrow interests,social interaction difficulties and repetitive stereotyped behaviour.The present study was based on a controlled trial of the effects of equestrian sports intervention on children with autism.Methods:In this paper,23 children with autism were selected through offline recruitment,parental registration,interview and desensitization test,and divided into two groups: the experimental group(intervention group)and the control group.After the intervention,the group was assessed every four weeks with six physical indicators,five physical fitness indicators,one physical function indicator and three behavioural indicators,namely the Childhood Autism Rating Scale(CARS),the Autism Behaviour Checklist(ABC),the Clancy Autism Behaviour Scale(CARS)and the Autism Behaviour Scale(ABC).Clancy Autism Behavior Scale(CABS),a question and answer assessment of three medical diagnostic scales.After the intervention period,the study participants were observed to maintain the post-intervention effects,and physical morphology,functioning and psychological behavioural indicators were measured at weeks 4,8,12 and 24 of the observation period.Results:Through 12 weeks of equestrian exercise intervention,the mean scores of the three scales and the indicators of self-care dimensions in the ABC scale were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group(p<0.05).Among the physical form and function indicators,the experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group in right hand grip strength in strength,standing on the right and left foot with eyes closed in balance,and spirometry in cardiorespiratory fitness(p<0.05).After the 12-week equestrian exercise intervention in the experimental group:(1)the total scores on the ABC,CARS and CABS scales were significantly lower(P<0.01);(2)among the five dimensions of the ABC scale,the scores on verbal communication and self-care ability were significantly lower(P<0.05);(3)the calf circumference and upper arm circumference in body form,the 15 s lateral jump in coordination quality,the flexibility ability of sitting forward bend,and right closed-eye uniped stance in balance were significantly higher(p<0.05).Conclusion: The 12-week equestrian exercise intervention significantly improved the overall behavioural-psychological scores and some physical morphological functional indicators of children with autism,mainly in terms of:a significant improvement in self-care ability;a significant decrease in body fat percentage,an increase in upper limb dimension and a strengthening of upper limb strength;and a significant improvement in balance,body coordination and cardiorespiratory fitness.The improvement effect can generally be maintained for more than 4-8 weeks,and some of the improvements in behavioural,psychological and physical quality indicators can be maintained for 24 weeks.