ANÁLISE DA PERCEPÇÃO DE PAIS E RESPONSÁVEIS SOBRE A EQUOTERAPIA PARA CRIANÇAS COM AUTISMO: UMA REVISÃO DA LITERATURA DE 2013 A 2023.

Equine therapy brings numerous benefits to practitioners, improving motor, cognitive, and emotional development. Due to this range of contributions, doctors and multidisciplinary teams recommend equine therapy as an alternative therapy, especially for children with autism spectrum disorder due to its benefits. Animal-assisted therapy has been demystified over time and has become the option for caregivers and/or parents. The basis of the scientific study will be basic research with a bibliographic review of the literature. Objective: The project is based on the bias of presenting the perception of parents and/or guardians of children diagnosed with autism in relation to the care process offered by an equine therapy center. Method: It used the Integrative Literature Review (ILR) in six stages, addressing everything from problem definition to critical data analysis. Articles in Portuguese and Spanish from 2013 to 2023 were included, using the LILACS, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases with descriptors related to equine therapy and autism. Results: Indicate that equine therapy provides significant benefits, such as increased self-esteem, improvements in socialization, anxiety control and development of social skills. The research highlights the importance of the bond between practitioners and animals, as well as the fundamental role of the multidisciplinary approach in treatment. Parents in all reviewed studies reported improvements in the quality of life of practitioners. Conclusion: Equine therapy shows itself to be a promising therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, contributing significantly to the development of self-esteem, mental health, social skills, emotional control and independence. Parents' perceptions are fundamental to understanding the effectiveness of these therapies, but reveal gaps when compared to professionals' views. This highlights the need for research on the topic.