O impacto da hipoterapia em crianças com Síndrome de Angelman

Abstract

The generalization of the right to education establishing one of the most significant achievements resulting from the modernization of societies, giving children , with or without disabilities, freedom to learn, as well as the right to personal and social construction, promoting its actual inclusion. The present study focuses on Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic base disease that reveals a neurological disorder that causes severe mental retardation, behavioural disturbances, delayed psychomotor development, lack of speech and attention deficit. The hippo therapy technique uses the horse step, a three-dimensional movement, with therapeutic purposes, so that the stimulus produced around the body of the rider provide improvements in neuro-muscular and sensory terms. The goal of this study was to verify the effect of therapeutic intervention - hippo therapy - its recovery in the psychomotor level, taking into account the affective link between child and horse. The participant of this study is an 8-year-old male child, presenting diagnosis of Angelman Syndrome. The child's mother, the psychologist and physiotherapist of Associação Equiterapêutica do Porto e Matosinhos also participated in the study. The analysis and treatment of data were made using several documents (e.g., PEI, group and individual record sheet) and set directed to the mother of the child, psychologist and physiotherapist interviews. There were also six sessions of direct nonparticipant observation concerning the hippo therapy sessions. The results obtained in this study are probabilistic indicators of the importance of hippo therapy, contributing satisfactorily to a better psychomotor development (e.g. body balance and adjustment, self-esteem and emotional stability, due to the threedimensional movement of the horse). However, these results are only possible due to the affective bound between the child and horse. We reiterate the importance of investment in this therapy and the relationship between the various educational agents in order to achieve a more effective and fruitful intervention.

Date of Award	2014
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Filomena Ponte (Supervisor)