Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2226-6348

Hearts for Horses: A Fun Rehabilitation for Dyslexia

Kavenia Kunasegran, Vijayaletchumy Subramaniam

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v9-i2/7964

Open access

The purpose of this study was to investigate parents’ perceptions and experiences of equine therapy for their dyslexic children. Twenty-four children were recruited from Malaysia Dyslexia Association in administering equine therapy. The research participants were parents of children with dyslexia. A sample size of twelve parents were therefore selected for the study. To complete this study, three modes of data collection was carried out, namely through observations, surveys and interviews. In this study, the researcher applied triangulation data by collecting three forms of data sources, namely questionnaires, audio and video recording and research field notes to increase validity and reliability of the research. Parents of the children in the treatment group gave feedback on their experience of equine therapy. Results from the parents demonstrated that their child has shown significant improvement in the following aspects, 1) physical & motor skills, (2) psychological, (3) social, and (4) cognitive. The findings showed that this unique intervention has improved them directly in a fun and new rehabilitation. The majority of the parents felt that the equine therapy was effective in treatment of learning difficulties.

Anderson, K. L., & Olson, M. R. (2006). The value of a dog in a classroom of children with severe
emotional disorders. Anthrozoos, 19(1), 35–49.
Anderson, S., Meints, K. (2016). The Effects of Equine-Assisted Activities on the Social Functioning
in Children and Adolescents with Disorders. Journal of Autism Disorder, 46: 3344-3352.
Bass, M. M., Duchowny, C. A., & Llabre, M. M. (2009). The effect of therapeutic horseback riding
on social functioning in children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39(9), 1261–1267:10.1007/s10803-009-0734-3.
Bull, L. (2007). Sunflower therapy for children with specific learning difficulties (dyslexia): A
randomised controlled trial. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 13, 15-24.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting and Evaluating Quantitative
and Qualitative Research. Pearson Publication.
Denckla, M. B. (1985). Motor coordination in children with dyslexia: Theoretical and clinical
implications. In F.H. Duffy. Dyslexia: A neuroscientific approach. Boston: Little Brown.
Denckla, M. B., Rudel, R. G., Chapman, C., & Krieger, J. (1985). Motor proficiency in dyslexic
children with and without attentional disorders. Archives of Neurology, 42, 228–231.
Dingman, A. (2008). Hoof prints: Equine therapy for autistic children. Encounter: Education for
Learning and Social Justice, 21(4), 11–13.
Fawcett, A. J., & Nicolson, R. I. (1995). Persistent deficits in motor skill of children with dyslexia.
Journal of Motor Behavior, 27, 235–240.
Franceschini, S., Gori, S., Ruffino, M. (2013). Action Video Games Make Dyslexic Children Read
Better. Current Biology 23, 462-466.
Gee, N. R., Harris, S. L., & Johnson, K. L. (2007). The role of therapy dogs in speed and accuracy
to complete motor skills tasks for preschool children. Anthrozoos, 20(4), 375–386.
Ghorban, H., Sedigheh, R., & Marzieh, G. (2013). Effectiveness of Therapeutic Horseback Riding
on Social Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Shiraz, Iran. Journal of Education and Learning; Vol. 2, No. 3; 2013.
Hallberg, L. (2008). Walking the way of the horse. Exploring the power of the human–horse
relationship. Bloomington, NY: iUniverse, Inc.
Hardy, J. C. (2011). Therapeutic riding and its effects on self-esteem (Education Masters). Fisher
Digital Publications, Paper 68.
Limond, J., Bradshaw, J., & Cormack, K. F. (1997). Behavior of children with learning disabilities
interacting with a therapy dog. Anthrozoos, 10(2/3), 84–89.
Odendaal, J. S. J. (2000). Animal-assisted therapy–magic or medicine? Journal of Psychosomatic
Research, 49(4), 275–280.
Orton, R. M. (2007). Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia. International Dyslexia
Association Fact Sheet series.
Overy, K. (2003). Dyslexia and Music: From Timing Deficits to Musical Intervention. Annals New
York Academy of Sciences 999:497-505. Pg 497-503.
Ramus, F., Pidgeon, E., Frith, U. (2003). The relationship between motor control and phonology
in dyslexic children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 44:5 (2003), pp 712–722.
Snowling, M. (1990). Dyslexia: A Cognitive Development Perspective. Oxford: Blackwell.
Shaywitz, E. (1996). Dyslexia. London: Whurr.
Ward, S. C., Whalon, K., Rusnak, K., Wendell, K., & Paschall, N. (2013). The association between
therapeutic horseback riding and the social communication and sensory reactions of children with autism. Journal of Austism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 2190–2198.
Zasloff, R. L., & Hart, L. A. (1999). Animals in elementary school education in California. Journal
of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 2(4), 347.

In-Text Citation: (Kunasegran, & Subramaniam, 2020)
To Cite this Article: Kunasegran, K., & Subramaniam, V. (2020). Hearts for Horses: A Fun Rehabilitation for Dyslexia. International Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education & Development. 9(2), 674-686.