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

Changes in Motor Skill Proficiency After Equine-Assisted Activities and Brain-Building Tasks in Youth With Neurodevelopmental Disorders

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Intellectual Disability; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Motor Skills Disorders; Motor Delay; Sensory Disorders; Attention Deficit Hyper Activity
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Equine-assisted activities; Behavioral: GaitWay program

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 25
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 5 years to 18 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; Control period; no equine-assisted activities or brain-building activities occurred
Active Comparator: Equine-assisted activities period; Period in which only equine-assisted activities were performed	Behavioral: Equine-assisted activities; Participants performed riding-related activities on and off of a horse once per week for 8 weeks; Other Names: EAA
No Intervention: Washout; Washout period; no equine-assisted activities or brain-building activities occurred
Experimental: GaitWay period; Period in which both equine-assisted activities and brain-building activities were performed	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; Other Names: GW

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fine motor precision	Subtest #1 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include drawing through lines, folding paper. Each task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-7 (with 7 representing the best outcome).	0-5 minutes
Fine motor integration	Subtest #2 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Task includes copying a star and a square. The task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-5 (with 5 representing the best outcome).	0-5 minutes
Manual dexterity	Subtest #3 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Task includes transferring pennies. The task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-9 (with 9 representing the best outcome).	15 seconds
Bilateral coordination	Subtest #4 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include jumping in place with arms and legs on same side of the body synchronized, and tapping feet and fingers simultaneously, with hands and feet on the same side of the body synchronized. The jumping task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-3 (with 3 representing the best outcome). The tapping task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-4 (with 4 representing the best outcome).	0-5 minutes
Balance	Subtest #5 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include walking forward on a line, standing on one leg on a balance beam with eyes open. Each task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-4 (with 4 representing the best outcome).	1 minute
Running speed and agility	Subtest #6 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Task includes one-legged stationary hop. The task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-10 (with 10 representing the best outcome).	15 seconds
Upper-limb coordination	Subtest #7 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include dropping and catching a ball with both hands, dribbling a ball with alternating hands. The dropping and catching task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-5 (with 5 representing the best outcome). The dribbling task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-7 (with 7 representing the best outcome).	0-5 minutes
Strength	Subtest #8 on the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Tasks include knee push-ups and sit-ups. Each task within this subtest is scored on a scale from 0-10 (with 10 representing the best outcome).	1 minute
Overall Motor Skill Scores	Sum of all scores from the 8 subtests of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Version 2) Short Form. Total scores can range from 0-88 (with 88 representing the best outcome)	2 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Caregiver reports	Anecdotal reports from caregivers regarding progress of the participant	5 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Texas Woman's University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Brandon R Rigby, PhD, Texas Woman's University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• 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.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): May 31, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 5, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 6, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): November 12, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 12, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 6, 2019
• Last Verified: November 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Pathologic Processes; Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Disease; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Intellectual Disability; Sensation Disorders; Motor Skills Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 17959

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: The individual participant data (IPD) may be shared by contacting the corresponding author for the study once it is published. All data related to motor skill tasks, including fine motor precision, fine motor integration, manual dexterity, bilateral coordination, balance, running speed and agility, upper-limb coordination, strength, and overall motor skill scores may be shared upon request.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No