Children with autism respond to horses, hippotherapy
WICZ
Before he started riding lessons with Elvis the horse, Jaden Farnham didn’t say much.
“He just said words, not a lot of sentences,” said his grandfather, Bob Farnham.
Now…
“Tell her what you do at the creek with Elvis,” urges farm owner Linda Fargnoli.
“I throw stones and I see fish,” answered Jaden.
Laurie McNulty had trouble talking and connecting with people outside her immediate family.
“She’s a lot more affectionate,” says her mom, Cathy McNulty. “She seems a little more confident.”
And Max Markosky didn’t speak.
“That moment when he said that sentence, ‘I want ball, please,’ everybody around the horse that was walking with him just was astounded,” said his mom, Catherine Markosky. “They just fell over.”
These are the stories you’ll hear at Fargnoli Farms.
Posted on July 15, 2010 | 1 Comment | Category: Autism, Caregiving | Tags: animals, Autism, children with Autism
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One Response to “Children with autism respond to horses, hippotherapy”
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July 15th, 2010 @ 12:43 pm
This is so true. Many of the parents whose kids I work with tell me that their children only talk during the hippotherapy sessions.
Barbara
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