# Effectiveness of a 6-week hippotherapy program in children with autism spectrum disorder

> **NIH NIH R03** · CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $72,750

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 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. Our 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. We anticipate that following completion of the proposed study, we 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.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9904069
- **Project number:** 1R03HD101115-01
- **Recipient organization:** CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Anastasia Kyvelidou
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $72,750
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2022-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9904069

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9904069, Effectiveness of a 6-week hippotherapy program in children with autism spectrum disorder (1R03HD101115-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9904069. Licensed CC0.

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