Equine-Assisted Intervention in a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: a case report.

An increasing number of studies have shown the beneficial effects of both recreational and therapeutic interventions assisted by animals for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The observed effects are believed to be mainly due to the ability of some animals to positively engage people, thus potentially counteracting the social withdrawal characterizing these subjects. Here we report the case of a child with high-functioning autism who has been included in an Equine-Assisted Intervention (EAI) program for 2 years.