GRO KIND

Written by a collection of autism experts including our very own Kate Victoria Drohan.

We’re here, with another wonderful week of GRO KIND!

Our weekly feature focused on helping the communities surrounding Autism with informative and uplifting stories from our GRO PRO team of expert and knowledgeable contributors. This week we are focusing on the profound relationship between animals and autism. This incredible connection not only provides autistic people with companionship and stress relief but also can allow many people with autism to have a more independent life, particularly with the help of trained dogs.

We also have an informative feature from Mags on ‘Routines During Covid-19’ something that we know a lot of families have had a challenge to adapt to.

As always, this is a huge spectrum to cover, so if you would like to see any information on a specific area, have a question for the GRO PRO team or feel you have a something to share yourself, please do get in touch with us. We would love to hear from you.

Advice for Parents with Autistic ChildrenThe Magic Bond Between Autistic Children and Animals.

By Vasiliki Kontou

Have you ever thought why there is an automatic bond between autistic children and animals?

Despite dogs being a man’s best friend, the benefits of, generally, having a pet vary in that pets offer companionship, relieve stress and anxiety, offer a special friendship, and most of all, they are non-verbal. Children often form a bond with animals as it is much easier for them in terms of socialising, interacting, and non-verbal communication. In fact, pets aid socialisation by acting as the mediator of ‘gluing’ friendships.

Research suggests that 95% of parents of autistic children who own a dog, realised that the presence of an animal enhanced their child’s social skills. Of course, the process of buying a pet and making that transition where your child accepts the pet as part of your household can often pose a difficulty. However, there are ways where you can introduce an animal into your life by slowly integrating it through regular visits, overnight stays, and even hourly walks.

Autistic children have reportedly developed social behaviours such as laughing and interacting with peers with the aid of animal-assisted therapy. In addition, they have decreased in demonstrative expressions of behaviour difficulties and even increased levels of social involvement. Therapy dogs participating in that process, have been specifically trained to aid children, and often adults, with peer interaction and act as a relief in stressful moments.  Other ways that therapy dogs help autistic children is by teaching them how to play, how to interact with a friend, overcome fear, provide sensory support, and even act as guide dogs on road safety. Nevertheless, it must be noted that dogs must be properly trained to assist children and adults with autism otherwise an untrained dog could worsen anxiety and stress levels.

Although dogs are great partners, it does not necessarily have to be a dog that can help autistic children with anxiety and loneliness. Pets such as rabbits, kittens, gerbils, and chickens have often been used in schools as mediating aids to relieve stressful outbursts in ASD settings.

If you are interested to find more information on how to find the perfect companion for your child please go to www.supportdogs.org.uk

Support Dogs use breeds that love to carry and retrieve and are willing to work with humans.  These include Labradors; Golden Retrievers; Working Cocker Spaniels and their crosses. A puppy is chosen if it is: sociable; confident; well-reared; likes to play with toys; can interact with people.  The puppy’s parents are also looked at.  They have to have good health results outlined by the Kennel Club/British Veterinary Association Scheme.

Dogs for autism are the first UK charity to exclusively provide autism assistance dogs. Anyone interested has to contact the charity and then they are sent an application form to complete.  They have to have an assessment by the team and if they think they can help they then arrange a visit.

The charity provides dogs for children and adults. These dogs are all specially trained. The team does not work with a family’s pet dog.

Dogs for Autism are the first UK charity to exclusively provide autism assistance dogs.

Their dogs are ‘puppy walked’ by professional dog trainers who live near the client families.  Puppy bonding and development training is carried out with the family and autistic child/adult.  The dog is trained to wear a tummy harness to encourage calm and settled walking. Anyone interested has to contact the charity and then they are sent an application form to complete.  They have to have an assessment by the team and if they think they can help they then arrange a visit. The charity provides dogs for children and adults. These dogs are all specially trained.  The team does not work with a family’s pet dog.

Vasiliki Kontou is a BA Education, MA TESOL, NASENCo, and SpLD specialist. Having worked in secondary schools for the last 22 years, Vasiliki is now operating as a British Education consultant and CEO of Tutor Supply nationally with a global perspective.

Activities to Take Part in for ALL Dog Lovers

Whether your family with an assistance dog or you’re a loving parent to your own pooches, Big Dog Walk are hosting friendly and feel good dog walking events all over the UK for you to take part in.

You can choose a 2km, 5km or 10km challenge on the day and be met with tonnes of pawsome surprises and treats throughout the course. Check out all the locations for 2021 on the website https://www.bigdogwalk.co.uk/

The Benefits of Therapeutic Horse Riding for Children with Autism

Article written and kindly contributed by Learning Disability Today www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk

A new study, the first of its kind, has shown that children with autism engaging in therapeutic horse riding received both immediate and long-term benefits. Evidence shows that direct contact with horses has many long-term benefits including a reduction in irritability and improvements with word fluency and communication. Hyperactivity was also reduced immediately, but this was not a lasting effect.

Short-term benefits 

In the first large study of its kind, researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have shown a lasting reduction in irritability and other positive social and communication impacts on children with autism through therapeutic horse riding.

“After he has spent an enjoyable afternoon there, he is calmer, and his behaviour is more relaxed into the evening”.

“There is growing evidence that human-animal interventions can improve emotional health and social wellness in youth, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder,” said the study’s principal investigator, a professor of psychiatry. “Our study was rigorous and the findings remarkable.”

The study, which had 127 children ages 6 to 16 years as participants, was the first to show that engaging in 10-weeks of therapeutic horse riding resulted in significant improvements in the following areas*:

  • Irritability
  • Hyperactivity
  • Social skills
  • Word fluency 

Long-term benefits

The researchers then did a 6-month follow-up of 44% of the participants from that initial study, showing that the initial benefits of 10-weeks of therapeutic horse riding in this same population can have lasting benefits.

Specifically, this follow-up study revealed that the therapeutic horse riding group maintained their reductions in all of the areas above apart from hyperactivity.

The research provides evidence to show that therapeutic horse riding may be an intervention that leads to the longer-term maintenance of initial benefits gained from equine therapy.
Yet the physiological mechanisms behind this remain to be discovered.

Experience with therapeutic horse riding: Rupert’s story

Buckinghamshire resident and mum, Naomi Masters, first heard about therapeutic horseback riding through her son Rupert’s school.

Rupert (age 10) was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and often has difficulty expressing his thoughts and emotions if distressed. Naomi had heard about the potential benefits of animal-assisted therapy and began bringing Rupert to after-school sessions at Equicate, a local equine-facilitated learning initiative, in June 2018. Donna Hall, founder of Equicate and Rupert’s instructor, is an experienced special needs teacher trained in neuro-linguistic programming.

At first, Naomi was concerned that Rupert, who has grown up around farm animals, may not take to horses so well, as their temperaments can be quite different from smaller animals. She needn’t have worried, however, as the experience has been incredibly positive. “Rupert has always liked horses, and he is able to really ‘switch off’ and relax around them”, says Naomi. “It’s a very relaxed environment, and there’s been a noticeable improvement in his temperament and confidence when at the yard, as well as a reduction in his anxiety.”

Naomi notes that on the days where Rupert is reminded he is riding after school, he tries harder in classes, as he realises that his behaviour and efforts at school can correlate to how enjoyable his experience is at the yard with the horses. “After he has spent an enjoyable afternoon there, he is calmer, and his behaviour is more relaxed into the evening” explains Naomi. “Although he still struggles to express his emotions and thoughts verbally when he’s distressed, there has been a visible improvement in his physical responses in certain situations, and his reactions in unfamiliar social settings with others are becoming less adverse.”

Although 10-year-old Rupert has only been involved in the therapy for a few months, Naomi is already a strong advocate for its positive benefits and would encourage parents in a similar situation to consider exploring the potential of therapeutic horseback riding.

* compared to a barn activity control group that met at the riding center to learn about horses, but had no direct interaction with horses.

**  MD, MEd, of The Ohio State University in an editorial in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry about Gabriels’ 2015 study.

To read the article in full, please visit https://www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk/the-benefits-of-therapeutic-horse-riding-for-autistic-children

Advice from the Experts – Routines During Covid-19

Written by our expert Mags Canning, teacher, and parent of a SEN child

How often since Lockdown and COVID have you longed for your usual routine? Dropping the kids at school and grabbing a coffee, meeting with friends, or going to work! Even if you have been going to work and about your everyday life, things have changed, changed beyond what we could ever have imagined. This has been and still is hard for us to get our heads around let alone a child, young person, or any other adult or someone with Autism.

For anyone with a diagnosis of Autism, it is even harder, their routine of going to school, day services, clubs or just going out to the shops just stopped, stopped suddenly, stopped without warning, and for some without any plausible explanation. All the things they were used to doing just stopped, you as the parent or carer had to find a new routine for everyone in the household.

Have you all now found your new normal? Got yourself into a new routine? Have the schools or day services been in contact sending work for you to do at home? Your new normal is probably different from someone else’s new normal. For some your young person will be engaging with the work sent for them to do, others will point blank refuse; after all, work is for school and home is for whatever they like to do at home. By now you have probably got into some sort of routine which suits you all.

So your routine may look different but it is still a routine, your young person who always found a change of routine challenging has overcome that to some extent. If they haven’t been doing the work set by schools or other services I’m sure they have been learning something, something much more important, and something that will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives. They have accomplished more than any of you ever imagined, they coped with a change of routine, they might have had meltdowns and wobbles along the way but they have got there and so have you.

You might not have got your young person to complete the work that has been sent home.  You might not have completed your own work to the standard that you are used to, but nothing is as it used to be. What you do need to focus on and be proud of is what you have all achieved in these difficult times. What is your main achievement? What are you most proud of?

One last thing, don’t compare yourself and your family to others, what you are told by others or see on social media can be a long way from what goes on in real life.

Take care,

Mags

Please send any questions about this article to Mags: magscanning20@gmail.com

Community, Interesting Links and Contacts

We hope you enjoyed our third issue of GRO KIND! Again, we would like to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all of our amazing contributors who have helped create and sculpt this issue.

We would love to hear your feedback. This is your space, your community so if you have any questions for the GRO PRO team to answer in the next issue or would like to share your story with other like-minded people, please do get in touch.

If you’re are an expert in the field and feel there is something you would like to contribute, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

kate@robertsandwhistles.co.uk

Recommend Link on Autism and Pets:

https://www.autismspeaks.org/science-news/autism-and-pets-more-evidence-social-benefits

Organisation

Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of people with autism and their families. https://www.facebook.com/autismspeaks/

Recommended Websites:

https://www.autism.org.uk/services

https://www.autismspeaks.org/

https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk//helplines/main.aspx

http://www.autismforward.org.uk/

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