Posts Tagged ‘Special needs’

Activities for Autistic Children

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Parents, teachers, and other caregivers often get so caught up in educating and providing structure to the lives of autistic children that they forget that, above all, he or she is a child. Like any other child in his or her age group, your autistic child wants to have fun. While some activities may not be suitable for those suffering from autism, there are a number of fun games to play with autistic children, many of which can get them involved with others or help them further develop motor or social skills while just focusing on having a good time. (more…)

Hippotherapy

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Therapeutic riding is a specialized equine activity that provides physical, emotional, and psychological benefits to individuals with special needs. It is a series of adaptive riding lessons, which are individually designed based on the rider’s goals. Through carefully planned activities developed by a health professional and a certified riding instructor, the horse is used as a treatment tool. The movement of the horse at walk provides sensory input that stimulates normal muscle responses in humans. “The MSU Department of Kinesiology’s research program includes gait analysis n how the movement of the horse affects the human gait. A horse’s pelvis is almost identical to a human’s. When humans ride a horse at walk, their vestibular system is stimulated as if they are walking,”

(more…)