title: Effect of hippotherapy on perceived self-competence and participation in a child with cerebral palsy.
abstract: This case report highlights changes in self-competence and social acceptance, along with changes in functional skills, after an 8-week program of hippotherapy. A 6-year-old girl with mild ataxic cerebral palsy, level I Gross Motor Functional Classification System, exhibited typical impairments in body systems and functions that affected her participation in age-appropriate functional and leisure activities. The child's performance on the Gross Motor Function Measure-66, the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument, and the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children were examined at baseline, after the 8-week intervention, and at a 2-month follow-up session. Data at 8 weeks demonstrated positive changes in all areas, with improvements continuing for 2 months after the program's completion. Hippotherapy not only may be an effective intervention to improve functional gross motor development but also may affect perceived self-competence and social acceptance, which may lead to increases in participation for children with mild cerebral palsy.
authors.affiliation: Quest Therapeutic Services, Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Alana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McCloskey
authors.forename: Robin L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Dole
mesh_terms: D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D056147:Equine-Assisted Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012929:Psychological Distance; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D020377:Self Efficacy; D058992:Social Participation / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome