EFFECT OF AN EQUINE THERAPY PROGRAM ON PSYCHOMOTOR DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN BELONGING TO THE SCHOOL INTEGRATION PROGRAM

Background: A large number of children with disabilities exist, who have special educational needs and a delay in psychomotor development; they are frequently incorporated into student integration programs (SIP), forming part of the regular class and receiving complimentary technical and educational assistance. The health system has historically handled these cases through traditional physical therapy; however, currently, other complementary treatment techniques have arisen that produce benefits in the physical, psychological, cognitive, and social aspects of the child. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an Equine therapy program on the psychomotor development of SIP students. Methods: A quantitative study with a quasi-experimental design and convenience sampling was conducted. Eighteen students (ten men and eight women) from SIP were obtained to establish a control group (N=9) and an experimental group (N=9). The intervention consisted of an 18-weeks program of equine therapy with two sessions each week. Psychomotor development was assessed before and after the intervention with the “Test de Desarrollo y Aprendizaje” (TADI). Results: There was a significant improvement in psychomotor development (p<0,001) and in the cognitive and motor skills at the end of the intervention (p<0,05), the effect size obtained in the psychomotor development construct and the cognition and motor skills indicators were large (d> 0,8). Conclusion: Statistically significant changes were found in the experimental group comparing the initial and final values after the intervention through many variables. It is then possible to conclude that equine therapy has a moderate to large impact on psychomotor development of SIP students, which was also statistically significant.