Gross Motor Skills and Gait Performance in Two- and Three-year-old Children With Developmental Delay Participating in Hippotherapy.

This research focuses on the impact of horse-related therapy (hippotherapy) on gross motor skills for young children experiencing developmental delay, compared to those without such delay. The study suggests that participating in this therapy can lead to significant improvements in these motor skills, despite not indicating notable changes in gait performance.

Introduction and Methodology

• The study focused on two specific groups of children between the ages of two and three: those with a developmental delay (DD) related to their gross motor skills, and a control group comprised of children without any such delay.
• The DD group participated in 15 sessions of hippotherapy (HPOT) – a type of therapy using horses to promote physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy for individuals with disabilities. The control group didn’t partake in any activities related to horses.
• Both groups had their gross motor skills assessed using the Battelle Developmental Inventory 2nd Edition, while a computerized gait analysis system measured their walking abilities.

Results

• The results showed that the DD group had significant improvements in their gross motor skills following the HPOT intervention. The mean motor delay score of this group decreased by 24.1 points, indicating a notable reduction in developmental delay after the therapy sessions.
• On the contrary, the control group, which didn’t participate in HPOT, saw no notable change in their Battelle Developmental Inventory 2nd Edition motor scores across the duration of the study.
• Comparing both groups, the scores indicated more significant motor skill improvements within the DD group that had undergone HPOT.

Gait Performance

• Despite the considerable improvement in gross motor skills, the study did not find any significant changes in the DD group’s gait performance metrics after the HPOT intervention. Although there were no substantial changes, the researchers did notice trends of improvement in regards to step width and step length after the therapy sessions.

Key Conclusions

• The study suggests that HPOT can effectively improve gross motor skills among young children experiencing developmental delay. However, the therapy didn’t noticeably influence the gait performance of these children.
• The data from this research also provides useful and quantitative input about the efficacy of early HPOT intervention during critical developmental stages for children with developmental delays.