Clinical trial NCT04158960: Motor Skill Proficiency After Equine-assisted Activities and Brain-building Tasks
Official title: Changes in Motor Skill Proficiency After Equine-Assisted Activities and Brain-Building Tasks in Youth With Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Motor Delay
Motor Skills Disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyper Activity
Intellectual Disability
Sensory Disorders
Lead sponsor: Texas Woman's University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2019-11-12
Enrollment: 25
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 5
Maximum age (years): 18
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: 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.

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.

Eligibility criteria: 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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Fine motor precision
timeFrame: 0-5 minutes
measure: Fine motor integration
timeFrame: 0-5 minutes
measure: Manual dexterity
timeFrame: 15 seconds
measure: Bilateral coordination
timeFrame: 0-5 minutes
measure: Balance
timeFrame: 1 minute
measure: Running speed and agility
timeFrame: 15 seconds
measure: Upper-limb coordination
timeFrame: 0-5 minutes
measure: Strength
timeFrame: 1 minute
measure: Overall Motor Skill Scores
timeFrame: 2 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Caregiver reports
timeFrame: 5 minutes
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Texas Woman's University
name: Brandon R Rigby, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: 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.