The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the science' state of unconventional physical therapies, such as yoga therapy (YT) and equine-assisted therapy (EAT), in the treatment of the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in children and young adolescents. The aim of this systematic review is to highlight the effects of unconventional physiotherapy in autism. Data from 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved and analyzed to help with the making of this review. Physical, cognitive and social functions were measured in approximately 530 children and adolescents with autism, always partaking in either case or control group. Results indicate that the above mentioned therapies have an overall positive impact in the treatment of autism by reducing the stereotypical behaviors and increasing the cognitive and social functions. Participants vary from 4 to 16 years of age. There is still a gap of knowledge when it comes to all the direct effects and action mechanisms of such therapies in the lives of these children. Therefore a lot of space for further studies is present and also recommended. Future RCTs are needed to better refine treatment choices, in order to come up with new and better ways of dealing with such disorder. Keywords: physiotherapy; yoga therapy; horse riding therapy;...

Bakgrund: Hästunderstödd terapi, HUT, är en sedan länge existerande vårdform för allehanda besvär. Evidensen för HUT som vårdverktyg har framtill nyligen dock varit svag, men allt fler studier har visat att HUT är en effektiv träningsform för balans och gångförmåga hos barn och ungdomar med CP-skador, förmågor som är tätt förknippade med människors livskvalitet. En diagnos som är lik CP och ofta ger liknande symtom är stroke. Trots likheterna mellan stroke och CP finns inte alls samma mängd evidens för effekten av HUT vid stroke som vid CP. Samtidigt råder det brist på effektiv strokerehabilitering i vissa delar av Sverige. Det är därför av intresse att utvärdera huruvida HUT kan vara ännu ett verktyg att använda vid just strokerehabilitering. Syfte: Att systematiskt granska forskningen och gradera evidensen för effekten av HUT på balans, gångförmåga och livskvalitet hos patienter som tidigare drabbats av en stroke. Metod: Systematisk litteraturstudie av randomiserade kontrollerade studier Resultat: Åtta studier hittades och de visade en förbättrande effekt av HUT på de undersökta områdena. Fem av studierna var av tillräckligt hög kvalitet för att graderas via GRADEstud. Graderingen visade att evidensvärdet var mycket låg för effekt av HUT på gångförmåga, låg för effekt av HUT på livskvalitet, och måttligt hög för effekt av HUT på balans.  Konklusion: På grund av begränsat antal studier och begränsade mätmetoder i dem kan ingen fast slutats dras, mer forskning behövs för att svara på frågeställningarna. / Background: Horse-Assisted Therapy, HAT, has since a long time been used as a health-care-tool for an assorted group of problems. The evidence for HAT as a health-care-tool has until recently been weak, however an increasing number of studies has shown HAT to be an effective way to train balance and gait in children and youths with cerebral palsy, abilities that are closely linked to a persons quality of life. A diagnosis that is similar to CP and often gives similar symptoms is stroke. Despite the similarities between stroke and CP there is far less evidence for the effects of HAT on stroke than there is for that on CP. At the same time some parts of Sweden are lacking in0 ways to rehabilitation-train after a stroke, therefore it is of interest to evaluate whether HAT can be yet another tool to use in stroke-rehabilitation.  Purpose: To systematically review and evaluate the evidence for the effect of Horse-Assisted Therapy on balance, gait and quality of life in patients who earlier has suffered a stroke.  Result: Eight studies were found and showed that HAT has an enhancing effect on the examined values. Five studies were of high enough quality to be graded using GRADEstud. The evidence grading showed a very low evidence grade for the effect of HAT on gait, low for the effect on quality of life, and moderately high for the effect on balance.  Conclusion: Due to a limited number of studies, and limitations in the ways to measure the effect no conclusion can be drawn, more research is needed in order to answer the issues in question.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT : The present research set out to explore parents‟ perceptions of therapeutic horseback riding as an activity for their children with multiple disabilities. It was designed to explore their vicarious experiences of the activity as well as their perceptions of their children‟s experiences of the activity. In order to achieve this, a semi-structured interview was set up with 12 parents whose children participate in therapeutic horseback riding at the South African Riding for the Disabled Association (SARDA) in Constantia, Cape Town. The children ranged in age from 6-17 years and had a range of disabilities including physical and intellectual disabilities. Upon completion of the interviews, the data was transcribed by the researcher and analysed using thematic analysis. Following thematic analysis, three themes emerged: the effects of therapeutic horseback riding on the children, parents‟ personal experiences of therapeutic horseback riding and SARDA, and parents‟ perceived reasons for the improvements in their children. These results are supported by results in existing literature. The results however also address a gap in the existing literature regarding parents‟ perceptions of therapeutic horseback riding and their children‟s experiences of the activity. Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die huidige navorsing het ten doel om ouers se persepsie ten opsigte van terapeutiese perdry as aktiwiteit vir hul kinders met verskillende vorms van gestremdheid te ondersoek. Daar is gepoog om sowel die ouers as die kinders se ondervinding van die aktiwiteit te bepaal. Ten einde die doelwit te bereik is semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gereël met twaalf ouers wie se kinders aan die terapeutiese perdry by die South African Riding for the Disabled Association (SARDA) in Constantia, Kaapstad deelneem. Die kinders se ouderdomme het gewissel tussen 6 en 17 jaar en hulle het 'n verskeidenheid van gestremdhede gehad wat beide fisiese en intellektuele gestremdhede ingesluit het. Na afhandeling van die onderhoude, is die data opgeteken deur die navorser en verwerk deur gebruik te maak van tematiese analise. Uit die tematiese analise het die volgende drie patrone duidelik geword: Die effek van terapeutiese perdry op die kinders, ouers se persoonlike ondervinding van terapeutiese perdry en SARDA en ouers se persepsie van die redes vir verbetering in hul kinders. Hierdie resultate word ondersteun deur bestaande literatuur. Die resultate vul ook „n gaping in bestaande literatuur aan ten opsigte van die ouers se persepsie van terapeutiese perdry en ook ouers en hul kinders se ervaring van die aktiwiteit.