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The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased dramatically in the last decade. The increasing occurrence of ASD creates an imperative need to test the effectiveness and efficacy mechanisms of appropriate interventions. Hippotherapy (HPOT) is a treatment option that has been show beneficial for children with ASD as well as other children with developmental disorders. The current projects focuses on understanding the mechanisms of HPOT efficacy and evaluating a short-term HPOT program for children with ASD.
The incidence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has increased dramatically in the last decade. The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that 1 in 59 children are being diagnosed with ASD and it is four times more prevalent in boys than girls. Common treatments for children with ASD are applied behavioral therapy, occupational and speech therapy, which are used solely or in combination. Hippotherapy (HPOT) is another treatment option that has been shown to positively impact various aspects of behavior. This pilot project aims to determine the effects of a 6-week HPOT program on movement and social behavior of children with ASD and to investigate the underlying mechanisms of why HPOT is successful for ASD through the coupling of physiological and temperamental responses between horse and rider. The approach involves examining these skills pre, during, and post HPOT intervention in children diagnosed with ASD. A group of aged matched children with typical development will serve as the control group. Innovative measures of physiological coupling and temperament between horse and rider as well as objective and quantitative measures of movement and social behavior and caregiver perception will be collected. The investigators anticipate that following completion of the proposed study, they will provide the necessary foundation to understand the mechanisms of HPOT, and thus provide a new framework to test clinical trials of HPOT and human-animal interaction, and ultimately improve the lives of those diagnosed with ASD and their families.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders | Experimental | Children with autism spectrum disorder will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. |
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| Children with typical development | Active Comparator | Children with autism spectrum disorder and with typical development will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hippotherapy | Behavioral | The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. |
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| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) | The SRS provides a clear picture of a child's social impairments, assessing social awareness, social information processing, capacity for reciprocal social communication, social anxiety/avoidance, and autistic preoccupations and traits. The SRS is a 65-item rating scale that measures autism traits over the previous 6 months in children and adolescents aged 4-18 years. Each item is scaled from 0 (never true) to 3 (almost always true), generating a total score ranging from 0 to 195.The total score of the SRS is reported below. Higher values represent worse outcome. | Change from Pre (baseline) to Post (after completion of 6 weeks of intervention) |
| Postural Control | Postural control assessment with a force platform with eyes open and eyes closed. Differences were more prevalent with eyes closed. We report a specific measure of postural control which is median frequency while standing with eyes closed. Median frequency can have a very wide range of values, but increased values of median frequency suggest faster postural control adaptations. | Change from Pre (baseline) to Post (6 weeks after hippotherapy intervention) |
| Cross Sample Entropy Between the Heart Rate Sensors of the Horse and Rider | Heart rate monitors were placed around the upper thorax of both the rider and horse and simultaneously began collecting data at the beginning of each session. Data was collected at the first, third, and sixth sessions of the intervention. We used the heart rate signals of the horse and rider to calculate the Cross approximate entropy. Cross-ApEn quantifies the regularity of patterns in a pair of related time series and is indicative of the dimensionality of control of the two signals. The calculation of Cross-ApEn is similar to approximate entropy with the exception that successive two-point vectors of one signal are compared with current and previous two-point vectors of another signal. Larger Cross-ApEn values indicate greater joint signal asynchrony while lower Cross-ApEn values indicate greater joint signal synchrony.For details on calculation of Cross-ApEn please refer to: Pincus S, Singer BH. Randomness and degrees of irregularity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1996; 93: 2083-2088. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Correlation Between Horse Temperament and Therapeutic Outcomes | Correlation estimate between horse temperament and treatment effectiveness | from baseline to 6 weeks |
| Aberrant Behavior Checklist |
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For the children with Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Inclusion Criteria:
The inclusion criteria for the TD children will be:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Anastasia Kyvelidou, PhD | Creighton University | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hearthland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy | Gretna | Nebraska | 68028 | United States |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42205945 | Derived | Kyvelidou A, Godden E, Otte K, Smith K, Peck K, Adamiec M, Travis E, Almazloum M, Katsavelis D. Effectiveness of a 6-week occupational therapy program with hippotherapy on postural control and social behavior for children with autism spectrum disorder. Int J Dev Disabil. 2024 Jun 5;72(4):819-831. doi: 10.1080/20473869.2024.2363023. eCollection 2026. |
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No significant events
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| FG000 | Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder | Children with autism spectrum disorder will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. Hippotherapy: The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. |
| FG001 | Children With Typical Development | Children with typical development will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. Hippotherapy: The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. |
| Title | Milestones | Reasons Not Completed | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study |
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| ID | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BG000 | Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders | Children with autism spectrum disorder will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. Hippotherapy: The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. |
| Units | Counts |
|---|---|
| Participants |
|
| Title | Description | Population Description | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Denominator Units Selected | Denominators | Classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical | Count of Participants |
| Type | Title | Description | Population Description | Reporting Status | Anticipated Posting Date | Parameter Type | Dispersion Type | Unit of Measure | Calculate Percentage | Time Frame | Units Analyzed | Denominator Units Selected | Arm/Group Information | Denominators | Classes | Analyses | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) | The SRS provides a clear picture of a child's social impairments, assessing social awareness, social information processing, capacity for reciprocal social communication, social anxiety/avoidance, and autistic preoccupations and traits. The SRS is a 65-item rating scale that measures autism traits over the previous 6 months in children and adolescents aged 4-18 years. Each item is scaled from 0 (never true) to 3 (almost always true), generating a total score ranging from 0 to 195.The total score of the SRS is reported below. Higher values represent worse outcome. | Children with typical development and diagnosed with ASD based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. | Posted | Mean | Standard Deviation | Points | Change from Pre (baseline) to Post (after completion of 6 weeks of intervention) |
|
During the intervention and participation to the study which was 8 weeks.
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| ID | Title | Description | Deaths (Affected) | Deaths (At Risk) | Serious Events (Affected) | Serious Events (At Risk) | Other Events (Affected) | Other Events (At Risk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EG000 | Children With Typical Development | Children with typical will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. Hippotherapy: The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. |
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| Title | Organization | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anastasia Kyvelidou | Creighton University | 4022805749 | aky61380@creighton.edu |
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| Type | Includes Protocol | Includes SAP | Includes ICF | Document Label | Document Date | Document Uploaded Date | Document File Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prot_SAP | Yes | Yes | No | Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan | Jan 18, 2021 | Nov 21, 2023 | Prot_SAP_000.pdf |
| ICF | No | No | Yes | Informed Consent Form | Jan 18, 2021 | Nov 3, 2023 | ICF_001.pdf |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000067877 | Autism Spectrum Disorder |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D002659 | Child Development Disorders, Pervasive |
| D065886 | Neurodevelopmental Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D056147 | Equine-Assisted Therapy |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D056447 | Animal Assisted Therapy |
| D012046 | Rehabilitation |
| D000359 | Aftercare |
| D003266 | Continuity of Patient Care |
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| During week 1, week 3 and week 6 of the treatment sessions |
This is a questionnaire completed by the caregivers that assesses irritability, social withdrawal, stereotypic behavior, hyperactive/noncompliance, inappropriate speech
| Change from baseline to 6 weeks |
| BG001 | Children With Typical Development | Children with typical development will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. Hippotherapy: The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. |
| BG002 | Total | Total of all reporting groups |
| Participants |
|
| Age, Continuous | Mean | Standard Deviation | years |
|
| Sex: Female, Male | Count of Participants | Participants |
|
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) | Count of Participants | Participants |
|
| Race (NIH/OMB) | Count of Participants | Participants |
|
| Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) | One child from the typical development group dropped out, so we did not include them in the analysis | Mean | Standard Deviation | Points |
|
| OG001 | Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder | Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. Hippotherapy: The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. |
|
|
| Primary | Postural Control | Postural control assessment with a force platform with eyes open and eyes closed. Differences were more prevalent with eyes closed. We report a specific measure of postural control which is median frequency while standing with eyes closed. Median frequency can have a very wide range of values, but increased values of median frequency suggest faster postural control adaptations. | The standing postural control protocol required children to be able to stand with eyes open and closed for 10 sec without moving their legs. This was possible only for 8 children with the autism spectrum disorder group and all of the children in the typical development group. | Posted | Mean | Standard Deviation | Hz | Change from Pre (baseline) to Post (6 weeks after hippotherapy intervention) |
|
|
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| Primary | Cross Sample Entropy Between the Heart Rate Sensors of the Horse and Rider | Heart rate monitors were placed around the upper thorax of both the rider and horse and simultaneously began collecting data at the beginning of each session. Data was collected at the first, third, and sixth sessions of the intervention. We used the heart rate signals of the horse and rider to calculate the Cross approximate entropy. Cross-ApEn quantifies the regularity of patterns in a pair of related time series and is indicative of the dimensionality of control of the two signals. The calculation of Cross-ApEn is similar to approximate entropy with the exception that successive two-point vectors of one signal are compared with current and previous two-point vectors of another signal. Larger Cross-ApEn values indicate greater joint signal asynchrony while lower Cross-ApEn values indicate greater joint signal synchrony.For details on calculation of Cross-ApEn please refer to: Pincus S, Singer BH. Randomness and degrees of irregularity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1996; 93: 2083-2088. | Posted | Mean | Standard Deviation | Unitless | During week 1, week 3 and week 6 of the treatment sessions |
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|
| Secondary | Correlation Between Horse Temperament and Therapeutic Outcomes | Correlation estimate between horse temperament and treatment effectiveness | Not Posted | from baseline to 6 weeks | Participants |
| Secondary | Aberrant Behavior Checklist | This is a questionnaire completed by the caregivers that assesses irritability, social withdrawal, stereotypic behavior, hyperactive/noncompliance, inappropriate speech | Not Posted | Change from baseline to 6 weeks | Participants |
| 0 |
| 15 |
| 0 |
| 15 |
| 0 |
| 15 |
| EG001 | Children With Autism Spectrum | Children with autism spectrum disorder will receive a 6 week (once per week) hippotherapy protocol. During the hippotherapy session, the researchers will monitor the heart rate variability of the horse and the rider. Both horse and rider will wear an electrode strap around the upper thorax. Heart rate recordings will be started simultaneously at the beginning of the HPOT session. To assess movement coupling between the horse and rider, five tri-axial inertial sensors (OPAL, APDM, Inc, Portland, OR) will be used. The sensors will collect actively synchronized tri-axial accelerometer and gyroscope data. One inertial sensor will be placed dorsal at the rider's pelvis, one frontal at the top of the forehead, and one frontal at the top of the sternum. The sensors on the horse will be fixed on the back of the horse on the spine level between T8 and T10 and on the head. Hippotherapy: The hippotherapy involves occupational therapy while being on a horse. | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
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| D005791 |
| Patient Care |
| D013812 | Therapeutics |
| D026741 | Physical Therapy Modalities |
| D011613 | Psychotherapy |
| D004191 | Behavioral Disciplines and Activities |
| Unknown or Not Reported |
|
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander |
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| Black or African American |
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| White |
|
| More than one race |
|
| Unknown or Not Reported |
|
| 6th session |
|