Therapeutic Riding or Mindfulness: Comparative Effectiveness of Two Recreational Therapy Interventions for Adolescents with Autism.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to compare the effectiveness of Therapeutic Riding (THR) and HeartMath (HM) mindfulness-based interventions in reducing stress in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Results Summary
Both HM and THR reduced cortisol levels immediately after sessions, with HM showing greater impact on heart-rate variability. THR had more effect on decreasing some self-reported stressors, but neither intervention significantly affected follow-up cortisol levels within a week.
Population
Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ages 12-21).
Effective Dosage
Not specified (manualized protocols used).
Duration
Three 10-week periods (crossover design).
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Therapeutic riding (THR) | decrease | stress | adolescents with autism spectrum disorder | - | reducing stress | #1 |
HeartMath (HM) mindfulness-based interventions | decrease | stress | adolescents with autism spectrum disorder | - | reducing stress | #2 |
HeartMath (HM) | decrease | cortisol levels immediately following a session | participants (12-21 years) | - | equally beneficial in decreasing | #3 |
Therapeutic riding (THR) | decrease | cortisol levels immediately following a session | participants (12-21 years) | - | equally beneficial in decreasing | #4 |
HeartMath (HM) | increase | heart-rate variability | participants (12-21 years) | - | had more impact on | #5 |
HeartMath (HM) | no change | follow-up cortisol levels within a week after | participants (12-21 years) | - | no significant effect on | #6 |
Therapeutic riding (THR) | no change | follow-up cortisol levels within a week after | participants (12-21 years) | - | no significant effect on | #7 |
Therapeutic riding (THR) | decrease | some self-reported stressors | participants (12-21 years) | - | had more impact on decreasing | #8 |
Therapeutic riding (THR) and HeartMath (HM) mindfulness-based interventions have promise for reducing stress in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. In three 10-week periods, this study compared THR, HM, and control on salivary cortisol, self-reported stress, parent-reported social responsiveness, and heart-rate variability. This crossover design included 27 participants (12-21 years) randomly assigned to order of intervention. Findings suggest that HM and THR manualized protocols are equally beneficial in decreasing cortisol levels immediately following a session, but HM sessions had more impact on heart-rate variability. There was no significant effect on follow-up cortisol levels within a week after either intervention, but THR had more impact on decreasing some self-reported stressors.