Being in a meaningful context. Nature and animal-assisted activities as perceived by adults with autism.

This study looked at whether farm activities with horses could help young adults with autism who struggle socially. Eleven people took part in 12 weeks of small group activities on a farm. Most people attended regularly (75% of the time) and reported positive experiences. They felt the activities were meaningful, created a safe space, and helped structure their daily lives.

Working with horses helped them feel comfortable and practice social skills without pressure. However, participants felt 12 weeks wasn't long enough to create lasting changes.

This feasibility study examined a 12-week farm-based intervention combining animal-assisted and nature-based activities for 11 young adults with autism and social withdrawal. Participants engaged in activities with horses and farm environments in small group settings. The study found high feasibility with 75% mean attendance rates. Qualitative analysis revealed three key themes: being in a meaningful context, creating a comfort zone, and developing structure in everyday life.

Participants reported positive experiences with non-demanding activities, emotional relationships with horses, and non-verbal communication opportunities. While the intervention showed promise for facilitating social interaction development, participants felt the 12-week timeframe was insufficient for lasting change.

Farm-based interventions combining animal-assisted and nature activities show promise as complementary interventions for socially withdrawn autistic young adults. The high attendance rates and positive experiences suggest good acceptability. Clinicians should consider longer intervention periods and may benefit from incorporating elements of meaningful context, comfort, and structure when designing programs.

Small sample size (n=11) limits generalizability. No control group or standardized outcome measures used. Qualitative design cannot establish causal relationships. Self-reported experiences may be subject to bias. No long-term follow-up to assess sustained benefits.

Animal-assisted and nature-based interventions in psychosocial treatment for various groups of clients have been studied internationally. However, there is little knowledge about how young adults with autism experience participation in such types of interventions. This clinical study aimed to describe the feasibility of animal-assisted and nature-based activities on a farm as a complementary intervention for young adults with autism and social withdrawal. The participants were aged 18-30 years, diagnosed with autism and social withdrawal, with no organised occupation during the previous year.

Eleven of 13 participants completed a 12-week intervention in small groups. They took part in interviews before and after, which focused on their current life situation and expectations about, and experiences of the intervention. The feasibility was described in terms of participants' characteristics, attendance, and their experiences of participating in the activity. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis.

The intervention was formed in collaboration with participating supervisors, ordinary clinical staff, and a young woman with a user perspective. The level of feasibility was found to be high. The mean participation rate during the activity days was 75% and varied from 50 to 100%. The analysis of the participants' experiences from the activity generated three categories, "Being in a meaningful context", "Creating a comfort zone" and "Developing structure in everyday life", and each of these included sub-categories.

The main categories revealed a dynamic process based in meaningfulness, comfort and structure in everyday life. The positive experiences of undemanding activities, emotional relationships and non-verbal communication with the horses were prominent and might facilitate the development of social interaction. However, the intervention's timeframe of 12 weeks was experienced as too short for long-lasting change.