Summer is Coming to an End

 

We have had one of the best summers this year, not only for the weather, so sunny and warm but also in growth. Selena has sprung her wings and is now so willing to be independent. I still and always will contribute this to the horse therapy. In the above picture was her first day at VBS. She went every single day through the week, and loved it! The feed back from everyone who worked with her was excellent, and those who have worked with her in the past couldn’t get over the changes in her.

Selena has found some special friends here close to home, that she has enjoyed going and playing with or having them over for play dates. She truly had a great summer. We couldn’t be happier for her!

 

She continues to love her horse riding lessons. Has enjoyed riding different horses and at times with partners. She is learning so much as am I, and even been helping with and learning about colts and the training process. It is so much fun for me to watch as she helps move these horses from one pasture to another pasture, with such ease, or bring them into the barn. She is now even able to saddle her horse, well, fasten the saddle, come on the horses are still quite a bit taller and saddles are heavy! She however, dismounts the horse without the mounting block, now that is huge!

We started school a couple weeks ago, Selena was so happy to get back to a regular routine. We are still making some adjustments but over all she is loving learning. This year she is enjoying learning to write in cursive, and doing much more in the kitchen, from making her own pancakes to banana bread. She is sure growing before our eyes.

She is in phase 1 now on her orthodontist work, the above picture was of us having lunch after she found out that she is getting her retainer to begin preparing for her braces. Wow time has flown by, she is growing to fast!

Our summer, as I said has been great, we took a trip to Spokane for a family reunion with her Mom, brothers, my son and his family. We all had so much fun, it was hot, but we had a great day in the park.

I am not sure the direction my blog will take. One part of me still wants to blog and the other just wants to let it lay. I don’t know, I guess time will tell. I might pop in from time to time with an update, but just know that I am not sure how much I want to share anymore. Life is so special now, we are loving every minute of it, and I am just not taking as much time on the computer these days.

Embarking On A New Adventure

 

 

I have always been drawn to the idea of using animals in therapy for Autism. I see so many people respond so beautifully with animals, I guess that is why we hear so much about service animals. I have watched Selena here at home, and know the calming affect that she gets from just going and spending time with the horses here. When she is just feeling out of sorts or anxious she retreats to the barn to visit Emma.

Selena and Emma have a certain bond that is unlike any bond I have ever seen. Even with the new pony here, Selena is still very drawn to Emma. She visits the new pony but always has to go love on Emma, feeling or recognizing that Emma is sad.

When an opportunity landed in our lap for Selena to work with a horse through 4-H and after getting to know the Leader and realizing she has worked with Autistic children and horse therapy, we were quickly sold on this new adventure. A very kind gentlemen has agreed to let Selena use his miniature horse, Star.

Why is horse therapy or just being around horses so beneficial to an autistic child? I think this article at ASDF really sums the benefits better then any article I have read. I will try to explain what we see personally through the benefits listed in this article.

Emotional Bond: We really see such an emotional bond between Selena and horses, it is as if she can read their mind. It is no big surprise that horses are able to read the emotions of the people around them. Sometimes children with autism just miss the cues of the emotions of those around them, but I have seen it time and time again where these cues are not missed when around the horse. This builds the ability to understand and learn how to read body or non expressive cues in people.

Cognitive and Language skills: Now I can only speak to a part in this area, since Selena has always been verbal. Though I know many times Selena could not express herself appropriately. Though to see her around a horse and listen to her talk and even give commands and take commands as to how to make the horse behave is wonderful. While we have watched her struggle with taking instructions from other adults, we observe this differently when around horses. It is like being around the horse just calms her mind. To see her and hear her give commands to the horse is like music to my ear, she is calm,  not bossy, and yet makes sure she is understood.

We look forward to this new adventure and the growth that will develop in Selena. At the same time she gets to benefit from learning all about her favorite animal, horses.