Autism Therapy: therapeutic horseback riding

PREFACE:

My experience working with children diagnosed with Autism has been a little like knocking on the door to their place of business. 

Option #1

Sometimes, no one answers the door and even if the hours of operation are posted, they are not always observed.

Option #2

If the door is answered, you rare sometimes invited in, but once inside you realize it is a waiting room where messages are exchanged.  There is no direct contact.  This can cause delays, miscommunication and confusion.  Patience and timing are critical.

Option #3

With enough effort and understanding you are sometimes (and hopefully) invited into the main office and speak to the boss directly.  In this setting, skills understanding and effort are still required but are less demanding and more productive.

This is the most rewarding and productive of the three options.

The equine program developed at the Westwind Rodeo Academy has facilitated the opportunity to enter the office and speak to the boss directly.  (Remember - they are not YOUR boss, but the boss of the company you need to do business with.)

I personally believe it has been a key ingredient in several instances, in moving forward and grasping the potential for the Education system to assist and direct students diagnosed with Autism in their academic efforts and opportunities.

FOLLOWING : Is a cursory description of a multi-faceted program that will hopefully provide a glimpse into these concepts.

CAUTION:  The thoughts information and data provided here are solely my responsibility and have not been endorsed, accredited, approved or even spell-checked by the Westwind School Division, the Westwind Rodeo Academy or any other authority.

Harlan (Lanny) Smith B.S.W., Family School Liaison Counselor

e-mail lannysmith56@gmail.com

The Program

More than just a riding program, the Westwind Rodeo Academy in Cardston Alberta provides a unique program centered on relationships that is based on a triad as part of a larger group of nine.  Each child that attends the program is matched with a specific horse and equine specialist EQ (horse handler) that is chosen for their skills and experience working with children with special needs as well as their command of horse knowledge and competence.  

The group of 9 is formed with 3 groups of 3 to allow for broader experience, interactive activities and comparative experiences and an ambience in the session.  The selection of which 3 students will attend together is carefully considered and may include children with a variety of challenges not limited to Autism.  The sessions are repeated for 6 consecutive weeks and may be repeated up to 4 times a year, space allows and need requires, although each section is provided as a stand alone intervention.

One of the most inspiring experiences is when children fully embrace the horse and the relationship when they take the opportunity to lay down on the horses back without saddle (sometimes with a bareback pad or blanket, but not always), and spend quiet time, just embracing the horse while the child is at rest.  This can include conversation with the EQ as originated by the child and is largely a listening activity for the EQ, or just a silent time.  This activity is sometimes suggested by the child and sometimes by the EQ and may occur at anytime during the session.  It is can be used to de-escalate the child or address stress or emotional discomfort.  It is also used as a modest celebration or reinforcement in the relationship.

Actual riding occurs during these sessions but is not the object or the goal.  Many sessions pass without the child being on horseback as the situation dictates.   Each session is focused on the child's orientation to the world around them as far as they can express through words, body language, choices or actions, their needs and concerns as well as interests and inclinations.  Although safety is an over riding principal, convenience to the horse or EQ is secondary to the child's expressed or perceived preference.  

We have witnessed EQ's trotting beside the horse as ridden by the child who has expressed a desire to have the horse move at faster than a walk.

(Again, safety is paramount which necessitates one or more EQs running beside the horse. In this case, the child's skills and aptitude to remain safely on the horse is previously determined.  We also consider the horses history and attitude and performance on that particular day as part of the decision making process.)  

This can be physically demanding and inconvenient for the EQ but a major contributor to the child's experience and benefit.  The results the child experiences, the more effort required by the EQ to facilitate without imposing or tainting the child's experience.

The other component of this system is the support of a Mental Health Practitioner and supervision by the Facility Director.  This completes the formal team.  Decisions about activities, concepts and specific goals are managed by the Facility Director and Bahavior Specialist and the EQ's in consultation.

We have also encouraged with some success, the attendance to at least one of the sessions in each section by a significant family member as well as the students classroom teacher and possible other support personnel.  These individuals are given direction about the concepts of non-interference and non-projecting on the child's experience while acknowledging the elements the child is embracing.  They meet the horse, the EQ and observe the activities.  We often take pictures or video and encourage this experience to be talked about at home and in the classroom.

Of course this is a snapshot of the experience in condensed form and there are many details and intricacies that cannot be explained or properly presented in this format.  Overall, the development of this process has been  most rewarding and inspiring and worth the investment of time, money and effort.  It requires many elements working in concert to achieve this model.  We are fortunate that these things have come together thus far.

Questions or comments leading to discussion and education are appreciated.