Autism (Psychological Modality)
- Jaithra Kakarla
- May 8, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 2, 2020
For thousands of years, the bond between man and animal has proven to be effective in creating an emotional, healing bond. Horses are used by physical, speech, and occupational therapists to reach their patients on a personal level through what is referred to as “hippotherapy.” Children with autism also benefit from equine therapy due to the motor, emotional, and sensory sensations that come with riding a horse.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects the development of the brain. Individuals with Autism tend to have difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication, sensory processing, and understanding or reading social cues. Some children may have difficulty concentrating on tasks, making and maintaining eye contact, completing basic skills such as eating, dressing, brushing their teeth, or bathing.
When a child is diagnosed with autism, they are often referred to as receive behavior analytic interventions, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. While there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder, intensive, early treatment can make a big difference in the lives of many children. However, Hippotherapy has been making waves as a treatment tool to help individuals accomplish therapeutic objectives.
Some children show signs of autism spectrum disorder in early infancy, such as reduced eye contact, lack of response to their name, or indifference to caregivers. Other children may develop normally for the first few months or years of life, but then suddenly become withdrawn or aggressive or lose language skills they've already acquired. Signs usually are seen by age 2 years.
Some children with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty learning, and some have signs of lower than normal intelligence. Other children with the disorder have normal to high intelligence — they learn quickly, yet have trouble communicating and applying what they know in everyday life and adjusting to social situations.
How does equine therapy help?
Autism Hippotherapy has been shown to improve one’s balance, strength, and motor coordination. It has also been proven to be effective in promoting language, sensory regulation as well as improving social skills as students often form an emotional bond with the horses they ride on. This then motivates children to perform skill-building tasks. A study conducted by Bass, Duchowny, and Llabre in 2009, showed that children who rode horses as therapy showed improvements in several social skills after 12 weeks of therapy. The researchers found that the children became more socially motivated and improved in sensory seeking and sensitivity. Most children with autism are unable to integrate their senses and understand how their bodies relate to the external world. Hippotherapy is a great way to help a child gain a sense of body-awareness while improving sensory integration.
Some other benefits of Hippotherapy with autistic population include:
• Relaxing tight muscles
• Building muscle strength
• Improving fine motor coordination
• Sharpening hand/eye coordination
• Improvements in Posture & Flexibility
• Improving Communication (improving one’s ability to breathe makes it easier for a person to speak)
• Gaining self-control
• Gaining self-confidence
• Improving concentration
• Improving concentration (especially for those who have difficulty staying on task with activities)
• Improving socialization
Creating the Emotional Bond
Autistic children have difficulty bonding emotionally with others. As the parent of an autistic child, you know that it is hard for your child to make eye contact, communicate what he is feeling, and express himself to those he cares about. Rather than verbal communication, autistic children experience physical communication with the horses. They brush them, hug them, and pat them. By learning to care for the horse, they associate the care they provide with feelings and an emotional bridge is constructed. This bond can lead to social and communication skill production with other people in his life as well.
Cognitive and Language Skills Development
Autistic children often have difficulty comprehending normal directions. By engaging in equine therapy, your child follows directions through a fun activity that makes taking direction easier to grasp and remember. He will also give the horse direction, which provides him with more opportunities to communicate. Your child is naturally motivated to move; thus, he is excited and motivated to communicate. During his therapy, his cognitive concepts will naturally improve. For example, equine therapists have children throw colored balls into baskets while riding, touch their eyes, mouth, and ears during a song, and identify scenes—all incorporated during riding.
Some may wonder how hippotherapy can be used to encourage speech in a child; however, during a typical session, the rider is motivated to communicate with both the therapist and the horse. It has been noted that non-verbal autistic children suddenly begin to speak when they are prompted to use the horse’s name or are asked to get the horse moving.
Sensory Benefits
Balance and spatial orientation are experienced through the vestibular sense organs. These are located inside the inner ear and are stimulated through direction change, incline, and speed. Riding a horse helps liven these sensory receptors, which helps make therapy exciting and motivates your child to continue to be engaged.
Equine therapy gives children with autism a sense of themselves and their bodies while increasing their contact and interaction with the surrounding world. A child’s self-confidence will increase once they have formed a sense of competence by learning how to interact and work with their horse.
RISKS
I implore any individual considering any form of EAA* or EAT** to consult with their physician or any related doctor before beginning this form of therapy. It is highly important that you are well aware of the risks of participating in this form of therapy, which sometimes may be entirely related to the health issue too. If you have any queries or suggestions please leave a comment below or reach out to me through the Contact Form on the Home page.
*Equine-Assisted Activities
**Equine-Assisted Therapy
Visit the "Current medical use of horses" post to gain more clarity about the interventions for specific modalities: https://www.equineinsight.info/post/current-medical-use-of-horses
If you have any comments or suggestions, reach out to me via the comment section or the Contact Form on the Home page.
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