Being an Equine Specialist for the Papillion Center for FASD has changed my life in the best way. I got certified through EAGALA in 2010. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that we got a horse. In one trip we actually ended up with two horses. A Thoroughbred retired race horse that had been abused, neglected and abused again. And then there was a family Quarter-horse who was Alfa on his land. So we took the lowest of the low and the highest of the high of these horses and put them together. What an event that turned out to be! They had to learn to count on each other. Clients came and connected to these horses instantly. They would see the scars from the abuse on the Thoroughbred, and they would connect. We use horses not only because they connect with us, but because they mirror human emotions. It’s much easier for a client to see these emotions within the horse instead of themselves, even though the horse is just picking up on what they are feeling! With the Equine Therapy program we have made movement in three sessions that we might get in 6-9 months of regular talk therapy. We relate, connect, reflect to how this plays out in their life. We can watch a horse “box” someone in and ask them if they feel trapped in their life? They build obstacles and name them things like “bullying” “communication” or “loss.” Then they try...

Equine therapy helps clients at Papillion Center for FASD heal faster by connecting with horses that mirror human emotions.

Equine Therapy: Connecting Through Emotions

 Being an Equine Specialist for the Papillion Center for FASD has changed my life in the best way. I got certified through EAGALA in 2010. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that we got a horse. In one trip we actually ended up with two horses. A Thoroughbred retired race horse that had been abused, neglected and abused again. And then there was a family Quarter-horse who was Alfa on his land. So we took the lowest of the low and the highest of the high of these horses and put them together. What an event that turned out to be! They had to learn to count on each other.   Clients came and connected to these horses instantly. They would see the scars from the abuse on the Thoroughbred, and they would connect. We use horses not only because they connect with us, but because they mirror human emotions. It’s much easier for a client to see these emotions within the horse instead of themselves, even though the horse is just picking up on what they are feeling! With the Equine Therapy program we have made movement in three sessions that we might get in 6-9 months of regular talk therapy. We relate, connect, reflect to how this plays out in their life. We can watch a horse “box” someone in and ask them if they feel trapped in their life? They build obstacles and name them things like “bullying” “communication” or “loss.”   Then they try...

Equine therapy helps clients at Papillion Center for FASD heal faster by connecting with horses that mirror human emotions.

Last year I spent one fall morning filling out forms so that my 9-year-old son could see yet another specialist, get yet another evaluation, have yet another appointment with someone we were hoping could help us figure him out. At the time, his current diagnoses were ADHD and PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, although NOT the PDD that most people associate with the autism spectrum — more of a child-wide developmental delay), his behavior, his reaction to medication, and the impact his various therapies were having (or rather, weren't having) on him left us puzzled. Nothing seemed to fit. His diagnoses seemed off. So it was off for round 4 of evaluations. We were taking him to a clinic that specializes in FASD, or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Basically, we, and his doctors, thought he was exposed to alcohol in utero and it's this resulting brain damage that has manifested itself in his behaviors, his processing issues, and his learning problems. Things we knew to be true: my son was adopted. His birth mother was an alcoholic. Things we also knew to be true: if this was his deal — that he had FASD, which is permanent brain damage — he and we would need a whole new level of education, therapies, and strategies for the future. We took him to the clinic. After interviews with my husband and myself, a session with an occupational therapist and a speech therapist, as well...

After evaluations, a child with ADHD symptoms was diagnosed with partial FASD, changing perspectives on treatment and care.

Is it ADHD or Could it Be FASD?

 Last year I spent one fall morning filling out forms so that my 9-year-old son could see yet another specialist, get yet another evaluation, have yet another appointment with someone we were hoping could help us figure him out. At the time, his current diagnoses were ADHD and PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, although NOT the PDD that most people associate with the autism spectrum — more of a child-wide developmental delay), his behavior, his reaction to medication, and the impact his various therapies were having (or rather, weren't having) on him left us puzzled. Nothing seemed to fit. His diagnoses seemed off. So it was off for round 4 of evaluations.   We were taking him to a clinic that specializes in FASD, or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Basically, we, and his doctors, thought he was exposed to alcohol in utero and it's this resulting brain damage that has manifested itself in his behaviors, his processing issues, and his learning problems.    Things we knew to be true: my son was adopted. His birth mother was an alcoholic. Things we also knew to be true: if this was his deal — that he had FASD, which is permanent brain damage — he and we would need a whole new level of education, therapies, and strategies for the future.    We took him to the clinic. After interviews with my husband and myself, a session with an occupational therapist and a speech therapist, as well...

After evaluations, a child with ADHD symptoms was diagnosed with partial FASD, changing perspectives on treatment and care.

Is it ADHD or Could it Be FASD?

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Special Needs
Articles

Equine Therapy: Connecting Through Emotions

Is it ADHD or Could it Be FASD?

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

Equine Therapy: Connecting Through Emotions

Is it ADHD or Could it Be FASD?

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles