With Autism, on Horseback

Pedro Melo Pestanamelopestana@gmail.com

Speech Pathology, BSc – University Fernando Pessoa, Oporto, PortugalAmerican Hippotherapy Association – Professional Member

Presented in “Autism Voices”, December, 2011University Fernando Pessoa

Oporto, Portugal

The Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Organics Speech Pathology on Horseback Communication Efficacy in Children with ASD Transactional Support Example of Practical Activities

With Autism, on Horse

The Autism Spectrum DisorderBasic Ideas

Lorna Wing’sImpairment

Triad

Social

Imagination(emotional)

Commuincation

The Autism Spectrum Disorder

Every behaviors serve a function/purpose

why not to communicate?(ex: disruptive behaviors that WE don’t know how to interpret)

The impairment doesn’t belong only to the child:

it also belongs to society!

The Autism Spectrum Disorder

Tradicional

Intervention

Equine Assisted Therapy

Atractive environmen

t

Gerater interaction

Animals

White gowns

Environment is always the same

Animal Assisted Interventions

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT)

Hippotherapy

Psychoeducational Riding

Animal Assisted Activities

(AAA)

Adaptive Riding

Others

OrganicsA New Proposal

• Goal directed intervention;

• Animal as a co-therapist;

• Human Health professionals;

• Intervention Plan sustained;

• Measurable outcomes

• Recreational benefits, and some therapeutical;

• Quality of life improvement;

• Trained professionals; volunteers;

• Spontaneous contents, with no pre defined goals

Adaptive Riding (therapeutic riding): activities are implemented by therapists or therapeutic riding instructors who use the horse's movement as a strategy to improve neuromuscular function or cognitive or developmental delay, or even with a more recreational benift significant to strengthen the development of life skills (Borton and Ogburn, 2009)

Adapted riding: conventional riding with recreational or sporting purposes; directed to disabled people.

OrganicsThe State of Art

“Hippotherapy uses the horse's movement as a tool to achieve the

patient goals of speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy

(Bazaar, 2001)

Hippotherapy = Intervention Strategy

We should use the same goals as in traditional intervention.

We just change the procedures and activities!

OrgânicaTheoretical Rational/Basis

MOST IMPORTANT KEYWORD: SENSORY INTEGRATION

Speech Pathology on HorsebackResearch - Past and Present

Ruth Dismuke-Blakely

Meredith Bazaar

Beth Macauley

Ana Melo Neves

1981

2011

30 years

(Leitão, 2004; Borton and Ogburn, 2009; Bazaar, 2001)

-Language comprehension improvement;

-Decrease of different types of echolalia and jargon;

-Oral intelligibility increasing;

-Increase of language diversity and spontaneity;-Increase of eye contact (frequency and quality);-Best-response to requests, follow directions and cooperate;-Increase of quality and frequency of communicative functions;-Increased attention;-Improvement of verbal imitation;-Increase of gesture skills.

Communication Efficacy in Children with ASDResearch based results

Suporte às Transições

Unknown environment

Unexpected events

Excessive external stimuli (sounds, dogs,

etc)

Great challenge to emotional regulation(increased anxiety, agressive behaviors, etc)

Using visual support for smooth transitions and facilitate involvement in

tasks

• Subitling materials and activities procedures (photos, PCS, PCS use scheme, etc):

• Take horse out, groom, ride, etc

!!

CHALLENGES!!

ACTIVITY 1

Description: stop the horse if child likes the movement

Goal: promote communicative intention - the horse will not move until child looks to therapist, until vocalize, until say “go”, etc – depending on child skills and needs)

Example of Practical Activities

Description: child must be positioned to the back of the horse. His hands must be on horses rump (we can help with our hands, modeling the horse gait movement). We ask the horse to star move and we can model the task. Each step should be one linguistic level/unit (depending the awarenesse level we are working – sintatic, phonological, diadochokinesia, speech debit)

The horse’s gait rythm is a great tool to achieve our goals

Example of Practical Activities

Pedro Melo Pestanamelopestana@gmail.comOporto, Portugal