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A child's occupation is to grow, learn, do schoolwork, play, and develop physically, spiritually, socially and emotionally.

A child with "special needs" may require help outside of the ordinary, in order to achieve these developmental goals. This help may include Occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, behaviour support etc.

Occupational Therapy

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy (or OT) helps children who have a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability carry out everyday activities like brushing their teeth or putting on shoes and socks.

Some occupational therapists help children create alternate ways to play popular games they might miss out on because of their illness or injury. Many work with children  who need help with their handwriting or in developing learning strategies to help them remain focused in class and get their homework done.

Occupational therapy helps children with special needs be as independent.  Occupational therapists also may help children with autism learn how to interact with others, or might help children with sensory processing disorders learn ways to interact with their environment in a more comfortable and appropriate way.

An occupational therapist also offers aids and equipment like slings or splints to provide support to different parts of the body. They can help you find devices that make it easier to do things like opening a jar, putting your shoes on, or taking a bath or shower.

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Physical Therapists

The physical therapist can overlay a variety of motor tasks on the horse's movement to address the motor needs of each patient and to promote functional outcomes in skill areas related to gross motor ability such as sitting, standing, and walking.

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Speech-Language Pathologists

The speech-language pathologist is able to use equine movement to facilitate the physiologic systems that support speech and language. When combined with other standard speech-language intervention strategies, the speech-language pathologist is able generate effective remediation of communication disorders and promote functional communication outcomes.

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Hippotherapy As A Treatment Strategy

Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes.

Equine movement provides multidimensional movement, which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive. The horse provides a dynamic base of support, making it an excellent tool for increasing trunk strength and control, balance, building overall postural strength and endurance, addressing weight bearing, and. motor planning. Equine movement offers well-modulated sensory input to vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile and visual channels. During gait transitions, the patient must perform subtle adjustments in the trunk to maintain a stable position. When a patient is sitting forward astride the horse, the horse's walking gait imparts movement responses remarkably similar to normal human gait. The effects of equine movement on postural control, sensory systems, and motor planning can be used to facilitate coordination and timing, grading of responses, respiratory control, sensory integration skills and attentional skills. Equine movement can be used to facilitate the neurophysiologic systems that support all of our functional daily living skills.

Hippotherapy Cont'd 

Why the Horse?

The horse's walk provides sensory input through movement, which is variable, rhythmic, and repetitive. The resultant movement responses in the patient are similar to human movement patterns of the pelvis while walking. The variability of the horse's gait enables the therapist to grade the degree of sensory input to the patient, and then utilize this movement in combination with other treatment strategies to achieve desired results. Patients respond enthusiastically to this enjoyable experience in a natural setting.

Source: Mrs. Donna Koolmees, Occupational Therapist, Jamaica Association on Intellectual Disability (JAID)

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Aquatic Therapy

What is Aquatic Therapy?

Therapists use the water and specifically designed activities to enhance, restore, and maintain a person's functional abilities.  Conditions can be acute, transient, or chronic.

What are the benefits of Aquatic Therapy?

After an illness, injury, or surgery, a patient's sensitivity to pain may be increased or the ability to bear weight on the injured area limited.  In water, the pull of gravity on the body is not as strong as on land, therefore motion and functional activity are more comfortable.  Water supports the body, reduces joint stress, and provides resistance and assistance to movement.  Patients can improve mobility, strength, and function rapidly during the healing process.  Other benefits include:

• Improved muscle strength and tone
• Increased cardiovascular function
• Reduced stress
• Decreased swelling
• Increased circulation
• Increased strength and endurance
• Increased range of motion and flexibility
• Increased balance and coordination

Who can benefit from aquatic therapy?

Though aquatic therapy is not recommended for certain medical conditions, the vast majority of people can participate.  Individuals with a variety of disabilities and orthopedic conditions can participate in aquatic therapy.  Those with back problems, knee injuries, ankle injuries, strokes, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, and those who have orthopedic surgeries are just a few of the individuals who may benefit from aquatic therapy.  Other conditions treated with aquatic therapy.  Other conditions treated with aquatic therapy include:

• Repetitive stress disorders
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Guillian Barre syndrome
• Muscular dystrophy
• Arthritis
• Pregnancy
• Obesity

Source: http://www.shenandoahmedcenter.co

Local Therapists

TherapybyTerri: Physical Therapy & Aquatic Therapy - Children and Adults

Tel: 509 0004 or 472 1048

Email: theraoybyterri@gmail.com