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作业治疗室对不少自闭症儿童来说并不轻松：身体更容易紧张，也更难跟上活动。科罗拉多州立大学（Colorado State University）的一项新研究，把“和马一起做治疗”与传统诊所治疗做了对比，并测量了唾液中的皮质醇（cortisol，与压力有关的激素）和 α-淀粉酶（alpha-amylase，与神经系统活动有关）。Medical Xpress 于10月19日报道了这项发表在《自闭症与发育障碍杂志》上的随机对照试验。文章大致按“现象—证据—解释”展开：先说明为何马辅助治疗常被说成有“魔力”，再写72名6至11岁儿童、为期10周的对比设计与主要结果，最后联系坦普尔·格兰丁（Temple Grandin）与早期研究，说明更低的压力、更好的投入可能如何支持学习。阅读时可留意 may、suggest、signal 等词如何保留研究结论的边界；文中的生理指标只反映本次试验的测量结果，不能直接等同于“马能治好自闭症”。

正文

For many autistic children, a therapy room can feel overwhelming. Heart rates rise, attention wanders, and it becomes hard to join in. Occupational therapists have long noticed that sessions involving horses often look different: children seem to settle and connect more easily. Until recently, that change was hard to measure. A new study from Colorado State University offers clearer evidence of what happens inside the body.

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对许多自闭症儿童来说，治疗室可能让人难以承受。心率升高，注意力飘走，也更难参与进去。作业治疗师早就注意到，有马参与的疗程往往不一样：孩子们似乎更容易安定下来，也更容易与人建立连接。直到最近，这种变化仍很难被测量。科罗拉多州立大学的一项新研究，为身体内部究竟发生了什么提供了更清楚的证据。

The research, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders and reported on October 19, compared two kinds of occupational therapy. Seventy-two children aged six to 11 took part. One group worked with horses at the university’s Temple Grandin Equine Center. The other received similar therapy in a traditional clinic. Each child attended one-hour sessions once a week for ten weeks.

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这项研究发表在《自闭症与发育障碍杂志》上，并于10月19日被报道。研究比较了两种作业治疗。72名6至11岁的儿童参加了试验。一组在大学的坦普尔·格兰丁马术中心与马一起进行治疗；另一组在传统诊所接受类似治疗。每个孩子每周参加一次一小时的疗程，共持续十周。

Researchers collected saliva at four points in every session: before therapy, during it, right afterward, and twenty minutes later. They measured cortisol, a hormone linked to stress, and alpha-amylase, an enzyme tied to nervous system activity. Cortisol fell in both groups, but the drop was greater among children who worked with horses. That pattern suggests they felt calmer and more comfortable in the horse setting.

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研究人员在每次疗程的四个时间点采集唾液：治疗开始前、进行中、刚结束后，以及20分钟后。他们测量了皮质醇（一种与压力有关的激素）和α-淀粉酶（一种与神经系统活动相关的酶）。两组的皮质醇都有所下降，但与马一起治疗的儿童下降幅度更大。这一模式表明，他们在马的环境中感觉更平静、更自在。

Alpha-amylase rose during sessions in both groups, then moved back toward starting levels within about twenty minutes. The researchers say this may signal healthy engagement rather than distress: the body becomes more alert during useful activity, then recovers. Combined with lower cortisol, the pattern points to a state that is calm yet ready to learn.

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两组在疗程中的α-淀粉酶都升高，然后在大约20分钟内回落到接近起始水平。研究人员说，这可能标志着健康的投入，而不是痛苦：身体在有益的活动中变得更警觉，随后又恢复过来。再结合更低的皮质醇，这一模式指向一种既平静又准备好学习的状态。

Caiti Peters, an assistant professor who led work at the center, notes that autistic children often arrive already highly aroused. That can look like irritability or restlessness and can block participation. Riding or working beside a horse frequently brings a visible easing, after which social engagement improves. An earlier 2021 study led by Peters found that equine occupational therapy also helped children move toward personal goals and raised social motivation.

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该中心研究工作的负责人、助理教授凯蒂·彼得斯指出，自闭症儿童到来时往往已经高度兴奋。那可能表现为易怒或坐立不安，并可能阻碍参与。骑马或在马旁边活动常常会带来明显的放松，之后社交投入也会改善。彼得斯主导的一项2021年早期研究还发现，融入马的作业治疗也帮助儿童朝个人目标前进，并提高了社交动机。

Temple Grandin, the autistic scientist for whom the center is named, has said that horses helped her as a teenager. Families often report that nonverbal children speak after equine sessions. This trial does not prove that horses create speech, but it helps explain why the setting may support learning: lower stress and stronger engagement. The findings arrive as equine-assisted therapy grows worldwide, and they show why the animal itself may matter more than a change of room alone.

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坦普尔·格兰丁是一位自闭症科学家，中心以她的名字命名。她曾说，十几岁时马帮助过她。许多家庭也常报告，不会说话的孩子在马辅助治疗后开口说话。这项试验并不能证明马能“创造”语言，但它有助于解释为什么这样的环境可能支持学习：更低的压力和更强的投入。随着马辅助治疗在全球增多，这些发现也说明，起作用的可能不只是换了房间，动物本身或许更为关键。

新闻来源

• Medical Xpress · Horse-assisted therapy linked to lower stress in children with autism, study finds (19 Oct 2026)
• Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · Effects of Incorporating Horses into Occupational Therapy on Adrenocortical and Sympathetic Nervous System Reactivity and Regulation in Autistic Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial (2026)（DOI: 10.1007/s10803-026-07540-9）

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