Title:
Parental perceptions of physical, occupational and speech-language therapy incorporating hippotherapy in children with developmental delays
Author:
Olivia F. Brown
Thesis Advisor:
Donna Pitts
Committee Member:
Janet Preis
Committee Member:
Alicia Barger
Committee Member:
Frank D. Golom
Committee Member:
Theresa Alexander
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2024
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
The purpose of this study is to investigate parental perceptions of physical, occupational and speech services that incorporate dynamic equine movement, or hippotherapy, as a treatment tool in children with developmental delays and compare these perceptions with that of traditional therapy. Data was collected via an anonymous Qualtrics survey from 15 parents and guardians of children participating in therapy utilizing this treatment tool at various therapeutic riding facilities in the state of Maryland. The survey consisted of questions related to perspectives of traditional therapy, services utilizing hippotherapy, and comparisons of the two. Participants indicated their level of agreement or disagreement with statements using a balanced, bipolar 5-point Likert scale. Participants also answered questions related to demographics and could provide written responses and feedback at the end of the survey. Thematic analysis was used to identify the prevalent themes in the narrative responses. Results of this study are summarized as follows: (1) parents/guardians have observed a variety of both physical but also social/emotional benefits of their child’s participation in rehabilitative therapies incorporating hippotherapy and also reported benefits associated with the unique hippotherapy environment (2) participants indicated understanding of their child’s goals within both traditional therapy and hippotherapy with no statistical significance between these results, (3) participants indicated that services utilizing hippotherapy in conjunction with traditional therapy resulted in the greatest benefits for their child working towards their individualized goals vs traditional therapy alone and (4) the primary motivations for parents/guardians to seek out hippotherapy as an alternative treatment modality were personal recommendations, personal curiosity and prior experience with horses. The findings from this research contribute to the literature regarding the incorporation of equine movement as a treatment tool within physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy, and provides helpful information for specific, effective and educational resources for parents interested in pursuing this treatment modality and unique therapy experience for their child.
Subject:
Academic theses
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Subject:
Thèses et écrits académiques
Subject:
Thèses électroniques
Subject:
dissertations
Degree:
Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
Use and Reproduction:
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Identifier:
BrownO-24
