Comparing the Effectiveness of Social Skill Development Interventions with Therapeutic Horseback Riding in Children with Autism: An Alternating Treatment Design

Abstract

This study aims to examine and compare the effects of applied behavior analysis treatments in conjunction with therapeutic horseback riding (THR) and the improvement of social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research study compared the effectiveness of social behavior approaches during three conditions (THR, THR with token reinforcement, and THR with visual cues) using a single-subject research design to determine the "best treatment" for improving social skills among children with ASD (N=4). During the comparison phase, the researcher determined the frequency rate of receptive social skills and frequency of expressive social skills among each condition to determine the most effective approach in facilitating observed social skills. Results of this study indicated that while all three conditions increased social skills (receptive and expressive), the use of token reinforcement was the most effective in increasing the number of receptive and expressive communications. Practical implications and future research needs are provided for addressing social skill development with children with ASD.