Pivotal Response Treatment Within Implemented Within Natural Environment Activity of Horseback Riding to Enhance Social Functioning of Children With Autism

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of delivering Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT) in the natural environmental activity of horseback riding on social communication of children with autism spectrum disorder. We hypothesized that children provided with PRT in a natural setting (n= 8) would exhibit improvement in social communication compared to children who did not get the treatment (n= 8) following an 8-consecutive weeks of Pivotal Response Treatment delivered during horseback riding activity. The results of this study revealed that children participants demonstrated improvement in social communication as measured by Social Communication Questioner (SCQ) across three main domains: reciprocal social skills, social communication, and restricted ridged behaviors.