Getting To Know About Special Needs

• Be yourself.

• Relax. Let the rider put you at ease if you do not know what to say.

• Explore mutual interests in a friendly way. For starters, talk about the horse and whehter the person has ridden before.

• Speak directly to the person with special needs. Your attention should be to them, and not to someone with them.

• Children and adults will be glad to talk about themselves. They prefer to have someone ask them about their disability instead of staring at them. They would reather discuss other things like TV shows, movies, sports, foods, and other things we are all interested in.

• Use conversation and social behavior that you might use in any new situation.

• Offer assistance when asked or when the situation obviously requires in. Do not overwhelm the person with help, or insist upon helping when they are managing alone. When a person is trying to increase their physical ability, effort is necessary.

• Do not hinder the rider's ability to expand their skills and independence, even when their movements may appear awkward to you.

• Respect the person's right to independence and their request for the kind of assistance they want.

• Be guided by the wishes of the person with special needs. Talk about special needs if it comes up naturally, but don't pry.

• Appreciate what the rider can do. Remember that the difficulties the person may be facing could stem from society's attitudes and barriers rather than from the special needs themselves. People with special needs generally do not view themselves to be as handicapped as what society often perceives.

• Be considerate of the extra time it might take a person with special needs to accomplish or respond to something. Be patient.

• Let the person set the pace in walking and communicating.

• Realize that some individuals with special needs are not able to communicate with works. Iinstead they will have alternative means of communication, which may be as elaborate as sign language or a picture systems, or as basic as various vocalizations, faciial expressions, and hbody movements. It will take even more time to get to know the person and how they communicate if thery are not verbal. Again, be patient and don't give up!

• Do not be afraid to say, "I'm sorry I cannot understand you. Please say it again."

• Be sensitive to separating a rider from his wheelchair, crutches, or braces.

• Communicate with your hear and see each person from his heart.

• Acknowledge that every person has the opportunity for vast potenital in his life. Share the feeling that each person's potential is found in the present moment.

Choosing Words With Dignity

AVOID: "afflicted with blindness" or "the blind person". USE: "person who is blind" (or vision impaired).

AVOID: "Crippled", "Disabled". USE: "Person who has a physical challenge".

AVOID: "Mentally retarded", "Disabled", "Handicapped". USE: "Person with a developmental challenge".

AVOID: "Down's Syndrome" or "a Down's child/adult". USE: "Down Syndrome".

AVOID: "Stricken with Autism" or "Autistic child/adult". USE: "Person who has autism".

AVOID: "Confined (or restricted) to a wheelchair". USE: "Person who uses a wheelchair" (or crutches, etc.)

The preferred terms focus attention on the uniqueness and worth of the individual first and foremost rather than emphasizing the disabling condition. The connotation of "dis-ability" is very important to avoid. Words such as defective, deformed, invalid, lame, maimed, spastic, and crippled imply pity, infirmity, and a general lack of competence. People are neither invalid nor defective. People aren't spastic, muscles are. By choosing words carefully, positive images can be conveyed about people with special needs.

Descriptions of Special Needs Conditions

The following is a brief, non-medical description of some of the special needs and conditions you may encounter at Heaven's Gait Therapeutic Riding. This is not intended as a comprehensive explanation of a specific disability but rather as a general overview, along with an explanation of how therapeutic riding is a beneficial treatment aid.

Autism: a brain development disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all being before a child is three years old. Autism affects many parts of the brain; how this occurs is not understood. The autism spectrum disorders (ASD) also include related conditions of Asperger Syndrom and PDD_NOS, which have fewer signs and symptoms. Riding Benefits: Riding addresses several key symptoms affiliated with autism. Recent research continues to show benefits including improved communication and social skills, increased sensory skills, improved motot skills and improved response to verbal cues and external stimuli.

Cerebral Palsy: 'CP' is a non-progressive disorder, thought to be due in part to loss of oxygen to the brain. Speech, hearing, vision, learning, and/or memory deficits may be present, however normal intelligence is generally not affected unless further brain damage has occurred. Thre are three main types of cerebral palsy:

• Spastic: occurs in appoximately 70% of all cases. It may affect motor function in one or more limbs. The muscles stay flexed and tense and facial muscle involvement may affect speech. Balance is poor.

• Athetoid: occurs in approximately 20% of all cases. There is constant movement in a disorganized and uncontrolled manner, and often there is worm-like movement. The use of arms and hands for support, grasp, and holding on are inadequate. It appears more obvious during periods of emotional tension. Speech functions are usually involved.

• Ataxic: occurs in approxmately 10% of all cases. Weakness, poor coordination, and difficulty with quick and fine motor movements result in loos, 'rag-doll' appearance.

Riding Benefits: Riding may improve balance, posture, and the ability to relax. It also stengthens weakened muscles.

Down Syndrome: also called Trisomy 21 or Trisomy G, it is one of the more easily and widely identified hereditary special needs. These individuals have often had a mean IQ of about 50 and experience both physical and cognitive delays. Riding Benefits: riding improves expressive and receptive language skills, gross and fine motor skills, balance, posture, and coordination.

Emotional Disabilities: 'ED' is a congenital or acquired syndrome often compounded by learning and/or physical disabilities. In general, individuals with emotional disabilities have trouble coping with everyday life situations and interpersonal relationships. Behaviors such as short attention span, avoidance, aggression, paranoia, or schizophrenia may be exhibited. Riding Benefits: riding helps increase self-confidence, balance, posture, and coordination. It also provides appropriate social outlets and interactions.

Hearing Impairment: hearing impairment may vary from mild to severe and may be congenital or acquired. True deafness is defined as hearing loss in both ears severe enough to prevent comunication through the ear even with amplification. Communication with people who have hearing impairment may involve lip reading, finger spelling (the manual alphabet), or sign language. Riding Benefits: riding helps increase self confidence, balance, posture, and coordination. It also provides appropriate social outlets and interactions.

Learning Disabilities: 'LD' is a catch-all phrase for individuals who have problems processing, sequencing, and problem solving, but who appear to have otherwise normal intelligence skills. New learning takes time to be integrated and may need to be reviewd frequently to ensure retention. Riding Benefits: Riding may increase attention span, group activity skills, cooperation, receptive and expressive language skills, posture, and coordination.

Mental Retardation: 'MR' is a genetic defect where the individual develops below normal in terms of intelligence. It may also involve delayed physical and emotional development. Riding Benefits: riding helps increase group activity skills, balance, coordination, posture, gross and fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination.

Multiple Sclerosis: 'MS is a slowly progressive central nervous system disease, usually occurring in adults between 20-40 years of age and more frequently in women than men. Symptoms and manifestations include weakness in one or more limbs, visual impairment, minor gait disturbances, weakness on one or both sides ot the body, emotional highs and lows, and inattention. MS runs a course of progression with periods of remission. There is no known cure for MS. Riding Benefits: Riding maintains and strengthens weak muscles and provides highly recommended opportunities for emotional therapy.

Muscular Dystrophy: 'MD' is a hereditary disorder usually appearing in infancy or early childhood. It is characterized by progressive skeletal and muscle deterioration. There is no known cure thr this disease, which often severely shortens life span. People with MD are easily fatigued, especially when it is cold or hot. Riding Benefits: riding may slow muscle tone degeneration and maintain muscle function. Riding provides appropriate opportunities for social interactions and elevates emotional depressions.

Spina Bifida: a congenital defect where, at birth, there is incomplete closure of the spinal column. There are usually varying degrees of paralysis of the lower limbs. Life expectancy is not usually affected. Riding Benefits: riding improves balance, posture, and muscle strength in the affected limbs.

Traumatic Brain Injury: 'TBI' head injuries cause more disabilities in people under the age of 50 that any other neurological cause. Injuries may be Closed Head Injury (CHI), where intracranial bleeding causes pressure, or Open Penetration Injury (OPI) where profuse bleeding and open woulds ensure permanent damage. Defects may include gross and fine motor skills, cognitive disabilities such as long and short term memory, visual limitations, speech, balance, and psychological alterations. Riding Benefits: riding improves balance, posture, gross and fine motor skills, and cognitive deficits such as sequencing and processing.

Visual Impairment: visual deficits may range from severely limited to total blindness, and may be caused by a congenital defect, traumatic illness, or injury. If onset is from birth to five years, the person affected has no visual memory. Impairments occurring after five years are accompanied by visual memories of people, places and things. A person is considered to be blind only if they have total loss of vision. If some vision is present, then the person is visually impaired. Riding Benefits: riding helps orient the body in space and improves balance, posture, coordination, and self-awareness. The voice of the the instructor is a point of orientation in space for the rider, therefore unnecessary sounds should be avoided as they are a distraction.