A few weeks ago, I mentioned in one of my posts that Casey and Rob had taken Equine (Horseback) therapy and I had a few questions about how that helped the kids and what else we had tried.
Casey and Rob both started with speech therapy early. I drove Casey to a city about 35 miles from us twice a week when she was 3 to get speech therapy. It was the closest place for us. Once she began preschool with our local school district, she got therapy there and once a week the therapist came to our house. Not only was this lady an amazing speech therapist, but she had some experience with sensory issues and taught me a few tricks that I still use today with the kids. (Thanks, Connie!)
Rob started getting speech at home, along with a preschool teacher who visited. Both were once a week when he just turned 3. (Mandy was still in the preschool class he would be starting, so we thought it best for her to finish the year and have him start the following fall. With his late August birthday, he would still have two years of preschool.)
Casey continued with speech therapy when she started Kindergarten and was seeing the therapist twice a week and for group time. Our local hospital finally had a speech clinic by this time, so I took them both every week for one on one at the clinic. This lasted about a year, until the hospital lost the therapist. Several years later, I would again be taking them to that clinic for speech.
Rob went to our county board of DD Kindergarten instead of going to our local school district. The teacher he was supposed to have was one that wasn’t good for Casey and I refused to let her near him. While he was in Kindergarten, he started Occupational therapy, along with speech. When the school district hired an OT, Casey started seeing her, too. (OT can be a wonderful tool to help with sensory issues! Neither Casey or Rob had many issues with fine motor skills, but the sensory play they taught helped so much! Thanks, Deena, Steve, and Brooke!)
We discovered that many of Casey’s meltdowns were from sensory issues. She was simply overwhelmed by sounds and couldn’t help herself. She didn’t have the words to tell me what was wrong, so she screamed and cried. (Don’t misunderstand – some of her meltdowns were schedule changes, too, or my changing the routine that she so rigidly followed!) I learned that piles and piles of blankets were an absolute necessity for both kids to be able to calm down enough to even think about sleeping. (We still had sleep issues, but screaming wasn’t one of them – finally!)
Rob needed deep pressure to stay calm and control his anxiety. He was terrified of loud noises (School bathrooms were a nightmare for him!) and he wore ear protection for most of his elementary years. Not only did the head set block (he wore a set of hunter’s ear guards) the noise, but it added deep pressure to his head and he didn’t feel the need to squeeze his jaw as often. He wore a weighted vest when he was at school and also had a weighted lap blanket for days he needed even more.
It was suggested that a swing may help him even more and the school purchased a large platform swing for his classroom. Beth (his one on one) figured out that he could do math and spelling quickly while he was swinging so she worked with him while he laid on the swing. Spelling was always easy for him, but although he could do the math, it had little interest to him.
In 2003 – 2004 (I can’t remember, exactly!) we found out that an equine therapy group had been started. I knew the couple who started it and decided to take the kids one evening to see what it was all about. I knew Casey wouldn’t like it, as she was scared to death of animals, but part of the therapy was petting and brushing your horse and I thought she might get close enough to touch one. I also knew Rob wouldn’t be a problem – my little daredevil would try anything.
I was shocked when Casey climbed into the saddle of the horse before she was even asked if she wanted to ride! There was a person walking on each side of the horse and another one to lead. She sat up so tall and looked like she had been riding her entire life. Rob jumped on a horse, too, and soon gave the volunteers heart attacks as he leaned too far one way and then the other so he could watch the horse’s feet. I assured them he wouldn’t fall, but it took a few weeks before they believed me.
During their therapy, they had to complete different games from their horse’s back. They threw basketballs, tossed beanbags and rings and had to stretch to ring bells. With the beanbags, the holes were different shapes and colors and they were told which color/shape to aim for. Rob had a deadly aim, even as he barely looked at the board. I soon learned that while they were on their horses, they could do things that they couldn’t do normally. They both knew their right from their left hands (After years of doing this on horses, they still can’t tell me when they aren’t on one. Or they simply don’t care! 🙂 )
They could answer simple questions and practice their spelling words. We practiced math facts – anything to keep drilling those lessons into their heads. (and strangely enough, the spelling and math stuck with them when they weren’t on their horses – it seems only right/left didn’t matter). Because there was a large group riding, the evening also became something of a social event for me. I could talk to other parents of kids with special needs as we took turns leading horses or walking with the kids. It was great knowing that Rob’s squeals or Casey’s obsession with socks wouldn’t be an issue! (By the way – Casey’s horse was named Socks – how appropriate is that?)
After more than 12 years of riding, we stopped horse therapy for different reasons. I had developed a severe allergy to the horses and could no longer be near enough to help (even with medication, there were times I could barely drive home) and the kids seemed to be losing interest in it. It had become something that “had” to be done instead of something we all enjoyed. If you have equine therapy close to you, please consider trying it. It was a great experience for us.
Rob takes aquatic therapy every two weeks at the hospital to help with his anxiety and for something he loves to do. Insurance will only pay for 26 visits a year, but we are both thrilled with that. He loves going and he loves his therapist (Thanks, Erin!) and is always excited to tell me what he did that day. I did have to warn her that he would sink to the bottom and sit and not to worry about him, but it did still freak them out the first few times he did it. (It seems he will never come back up as he sits down there and grins up at you!)
There are so many therapies available to help people with autism, now. I do the same thing with therapies that I do with meds. I think about what good can happen, what side-effects can happen and the expense. And I ask the kids if they want to try. Sometimes, the answer is no, and that’s fine. I wait a few months and ask again.
ABA became popular when my kids were a little older and there was no one in our state able to provide those services. When I taught preschoolers with autism, we used the ABLLS system and I did a lot of that with Casey and Rob, even though they were much older. They both enjoyed the little games and I’m sure it helped some.
As with anything else concerning your child with autism, follow your gut instincts when considering a new therapy. You will know quickly if something is working (or not working!) for your child. Find something fun with a great therapist. And if you would like to hear more about our experiences with the therapies we tried, send me a message! 🙂