I bumped into an old friend whilst I was dog walking last week. She shared with me the story of how her teenage daughter was suffering with anorexia and had been out of school for a year and a half. They had bought a new puppy for her, a sweet Cockapoo. Another friend of mine’s son was recovering from brain surgery and going through chemotherapy. They brought him a puppy, a gorgeous Australian Shepherd. As if during times of crisis we need the added stress of toilet training a puppy! But we do it, why? Because we increasingly recognise how therapeutic it feels to snuggle up with a puppy, especially when we are stuck at home recovering and how important that is for our mental health.
My son once spent a week in a Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Utah. They bought a cat round one afternoon to the children's ward for ‘animal therapy’. In fact, the Principal at our boys’ school in Utah had a Service Dog. He followed her round at school and the children got to pet him. I remember when we toured the school, after we were offered a place through their lottery, and at the end of the tour the deputy asked my boys if they had any questions. My youngest asked ‘do you have any animals?’. They did indeed, fortunately for me who was trying to encourage them to move schools. Turns out they had snakes, hamsters, a bearded dragon and even a school dog! That sold it to my boys!
Did you ever hear of a book called ‘The Horse Boy’ by Rupert Isaacson? He is the brain child of the Horse Boy Foundation (www.horseboyfoundation.org). He has an autistic son and had consulted Dr Temple Grandin, an autistic pioneer, in how to help his son. The advice was to follow his child’s lead, physically, emotionally and intellectually. To work outside in nature as much as possible, away from sensory triggers, and move move move because autistic children are kinetic learners (they like to try things out, touch, feel and manipulate). It’s interesting because when my son was 6 we were told by his pediatric neurologist to ‘follow his lead’. I’ll never forget that. To be honest I would never have had the opportunity to not follow my son’s lead, because he is single minded and determined and he knows what he wants in life. Fortunately, he is able to communicate those things to me, on the whole, these days. When he had a math's tutor at home, I told the tutor to take my son outside to teach him math's. They chalked times tables on the patio, organised scavenger hunts in the garden with math's problems for each clue and shot basketball hoops to times tables. For once in his life my son adored math's and the math's tutor! Why do you have to sit behind a desk to learn?
My son has always told me he is born to be outdoors, wild and free. Interesting then that our favorite sports are horse riding and skiing. Outdoors and non-team sports with no conflict and no pressure!
My neighbour recently observed a horse trailer appear in our driveway. Knowing about my son he commented how good horses are for autistic children. I have been pondering on this thought, and hence this blog post. Actually, I believe that animals are good for everyone’s mental health, not just autistics! It’s a little like mindfulness (see one of my earlier blogs). Being with animals allows you to be in the here and now. My animals take me outdoors and into nature and countryside. They make me laugh and they give me exercise. All these things are beneficial for your mental health. When you listen to that advice from Dr Temple Grandin, it’s no wonder animals are especially beneficial for autistic children.
Animals, especially horses and dogs, take autistics outdoors and allow them time to connect with someone who doesn’t challenge them with their words, that they don’t fully understand and who doesn’t judge them for being different. It’s purely a simple, conflict free relationship. Maybe then they feel safe enough to talk or to try something new, with this new friend of theirs. The key for coping with the anxiety of an autistic is to feel ‘safe’, just like that animal needs to feel safe.
I feel strongly that animals should be a part of everyone’s school life. So, find that school who welcomes animals and learning differences!
Summit Search specialise in helping families identify suitable schools for children with special educational needs. We work with pupils who are mainstream cognitively able, whose primary need is ASD, PDA, ADHD, Dyslexia, Speech & language, Sensory Processing and Tourette’s. Please visit us at: www.summitsearch.co.uk
Tamara King is an experienced Educational Consultant for SEN, and a parent to children with Autism (PDA), Tourette’s, ADHD and Dyslexia. Please contact us at: info@summitsearch.co.uk.
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