Help from Horses

A small miracle has come out of the Temple Grandin Equine Center through the act of occupational therapy.  Colorado State University graduate Caiti McDaniel is assisting research over a ten-week period on the effects of equine therapy on autistic children.  These 45 minute sessions incorporate activities that would be carried out in any outpatient rehabilitation center for occupational therapy.  Before, jumping in the saddle, McDaniel began by getting to know the clients individually in order to provide them with the best and most appropriate client-centered intervention with daily goals she set for each client.  Every child started out at a different level of readiness.  However, they all eventually transitioned to joyful interactions on the horse leading to successful therapy sessions.  Once on the horse, therapists would ask the client to carry out simple tasks such as raising their arms or placing rings around an orange cone.  Tasks that were carried out successfully would be rewarded with clapping and verbal praise.  Over this time span, positive increases were seen in the children's social behavior, cognition, and motivation.  Smiles were seen across the stable with signs that equine therapy has proved itself successful and a great representation of occupational therapy, especially in pediatrics.  Regarding the language of the article, the only distinctive term used was when a child was introduced as a boy "with autism." I think this is necessary in order to inform readers of the clients being treated in these interventions.  However, it would have been beneficial to have a brief amount of information on autism to inform readers who are not familiar with the disorder.  

Ham, L. (2018). CSU equine-assisted occupational therapy making strides for children with autism.   

       Colorado State University College of Health and Human Sciences. Retrieved January 30, 2018.