Creation of Didactic Materials at an Art Academy for Children with Developmental Disabilities Involved in Equine-Assisted Learning Interventions

This paper presents a practice-based exploratory project focused on the codesign and evaluation of didactic materials for children with developmental disabilities participating in equine-assisted learning interventions. The project was conducted during the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 academic years through a collaboration between the Art Education Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, the Don Kihot Association and partner organisations. Ten graduate students participated as part of their coursework in the subjects Pedagogy, and Methodology of Fine Arts. The primary aim of the project was to integrate theoretical instruction with artistic practice through project-based learning and gamification, while preparing future teachers to design inclusive didactic materials adapted to the needs of children with developmental disabilities. A secondary aim was to explore how such codesigned materials function in practice during equine-assisted learning sessions. The study adopted a qualitative, practice-oriented approach. Data were collected through student portfolios, teachers’ and collaborators’ reflective notes, and structured evaluation forms completed by practitioners during the application of the didactic materials with three child participants. The project resulted in ten original didactic toys and games. The findings indicate that student engagement and intrinsic motivation increased through real-world, socially relevant design tasks. Practitioner evaluations suggest that the usability and acceptance of didactic toys depend strongly on the child’s specific type of developmental difficulty as well as on task complexity, thus highlighting the importance of adaptability and individualisation. The study contributes to practice-based research in inclusive art education and equine-assisted learning by offering empirically grounded reflections on the design and use of didactic materials.