Abstract
Objective: To understand the biopsychosocial effects that Equine Assisted Therapies and Activities have on individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted with individuals diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at an Interdisciplinary Equine Therapy Center, of both sexes, aged 6 to 17 years. Participants were investigated using the following instruments: Gross Motor. Function Classification System (GMFCS), Escala de Avaliação de Mobilidade para Equoterapia (EAMEQ), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory - Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT), evaluation form and field diary. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics with the IBM SPSS Statistics software. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: The sample, with a mean age of 12.40 ± 4.72, with the majority being male (80.0%), presented other associated diagnoses such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (60.0%), microcephaly (40.0%) and West syndrome (20.0%). Participants have little independence in the activities of riding and driving the horse. However, with the hippotherapy sessions they developed trunk support, social and cognitive skills. Conclusion: Therefore, this type of treatment influences several aspects of the psychomotor development of individuals with CP.
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