A Transactional Analysis of Occupational Therapy in an Equine Environment for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Existing empirical investigations of occupational therapy services that incorporate horses for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are limited by a lack of standardized protocols. The current study sought to support manualization of one approach to occupational therapy in an equine environment for youth with ASD (OT ee HORSPLAY), by vividly describing the intervention from a transactional perspective. Direct, real-time videos plus field notes of OT ee HORSPLAY were collected and then subjected to qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistical analysis. Analytical methods followed Ricoeur’s hermeneutic arc of naïve interpretation, explanation through structural analyses, and comprehensive description. Following this arc, we found many architectural spaces, sequences of occupational opportunities, and actions of practitioners and youth that fluidly shifted in relationship to one another. The results of this study will inform the development of intervention protocols that will be tested for feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy in future investigations of OT ee HORSPLAY.