Horse Therapy for Autism

What is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a range of complex neurodevelopment disorder caused by abnormalities in the brain.  The autism/ASD spectrum is very board.

The variety of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses vary in the severity of the individual symptoms. It varies from classical autism where the child has a delay of speech development to a milder form of autism where the child has no delay in speech development as in the case of Asperger Syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). 

Autism tends to be more common in boys than in girls.

Autism is characterized by 3 areas of abnormalities such as:

• Social interaction impairments
• Communication difficulties
• Repetitive and Stereotyped patterns of behavior

Horse Therapy for Autism

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 “hippo therapy.” Children with autism also benefit from equine therapy due to the motor, emotional, and sensory sensations that come with riding a horse.

Creating the Emotional Bond

Children with Autism 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 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 coloured balls into baskets while riding, touch their eyes, mouth, and ears during a song, and identify scenes—all incorporated during riding.

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.

Other Special Needs Conditions 

At Healing Horses Singapore, we provide a range of Professional Horse Therapy Services to help children/teenage/adults with special needs to manage the conditions as listed below. Through the years, we’ve seen significant results of Horse Therapy on child/teenage/adults, their progress is our greatest rewards and motivations! 

• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Brain Injury
• Cerebal Palsy
• Depression
• Down Syndrome
• Developmental Delay
• Hypotonia
• Muscle Dystrophy
• Sensory Processing Disorder
• Spinal Injury

Note:

*Students with financial issues, can approach us for assistance *Free demonstration on basic horse management will be conducted for students on their 1st session

Terms and conditions:

*Strictly by appointment only

*Training will be conducted at the school’s premises itself and allocation of a private room is needed to conduct.