Horses have an incredible way of connecting to a person with Autism; for autists on different paths this alone can be enough, but there are other elements within a session that can be explored to create a fun, sensory or even learning experience.
Creating the Emotional Bond
Autistic children have difficulty bonding emotionally to others. As the parent of an autistic child, you know that it is hard for your child to make eye contact, communicate what they are feeling, and express themself to those they care 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 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. They will also give the horse direction, which provides them with more opportunities to communicate. Your child is naturally motivated to move; thus, they are excited and motivated to communicate. During therapy cognitive concepts will naturally improve.
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 preceptors, which helps make therapy exciting and motivates your child to continue to be engaged..
Sessions do not always mean a child has to spend it entirely with horses, but also use play equipment and small animals so that the child’s interest can be followed and not only create the same oxytocin effect in any situation, but can also teach social/life skills and communication.
The sessions are not riding lessons; they are not structured in a ‘one size fits all’ but more they take their form from each child and his/her abilities, interests etc. The session aims to encourage communication, learning and verbal skills, sensory development, relaxation and fun! There is no order of importance; it’s what works for each individual.