2012年1月28日 星期六

Hippotherapy As a Way of Fighting With Children Autism


Analyses show that about 8.7 of every 10,000 children are autistic and more than 1 in 300 children have some of the symptoms of autism. These statistics are not very pleasant to hear but they are showing the current situation.

Autism is defined as a disorder in the development that affects on the children from birth till the age of three. These children show difficulty in developing normal relationships with others in three areas of behaviour - social relationships and interactions; language and communication; and when it's about their activities and interests.

The cause of autism remains unknown but the parents and the experts are taking their best to figure it out. One of the hypotheses is that it's about some damage to the brain that has happened perhaps prenatally, though this has not been conclusively proved, but also maybe responsible some genetic or chromosomal abnormality, viral agents, metabolic disorders, immune intolerance or prenatal anoxia.

There are many methods for treating autism and they are all concentrated on finding a way to make the autistic individual communicate more effectively using social skills trainings. One of the methods that appear very effective for this disorder is the hippo therapy or horse therapy. It's a fact that the children love horses; they are impressed by their appearance, their strength, love to play with horse toys, play horse games. In this case their communication with them is based not only on playing, but on some type of bonding.

Hippo therapy is a term used to describe the movement of a horse as part of a treatment strategy, used by physical, occupational, and speech therapists. Psychiatrists found out that children with autism struggle to communicate but when they are with horses, they can achieve so much. It's not about teaching riding or horse care skills but the thing is that it's been clinically proven that just being in the vicinity of horses changes our brainwave patterns. Doctor Franklin Levinson declares that the horses have a calming effect which helps people stop becoming fixated on past or negative events.

It's been proven the children can often manage a horse more easily and more quickly than adults, developing an equal relationship rather than trying to control. A child who is given just a little insight into dealing with a horse can easily become the natural leader the horse is looking for. The horse feels safe and peaceful and for return will cooperate with what the child asks of him.

This way the child can improve his communication skills, his psychological, cognitive, and behavioural functioning, his motor skills and coordination, his sensory integration but also and his muscle tone, head and trunk control, postural control, his strength and cardiovascular conditioning.




For more information visit our site http://www.funhorsegames.net/links.php.

Graduated philologist in comparative literature, born in Skopje, Macedonia. I find writing as one of the most appropriate ways to express myself and I like when it appears useful for the others as well.





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