Open My World

After much talk about alternative therapies for Max, I decided it was time to try something different. I had been hearing about this equine therapy that is supposed to be so great with children who have autism spectrum disorders and sensory processing disorders. The more I thought about it, the more I recalled that Max has always been drawn to animals. It was worth a shot.

Well, to say that it's working would be the understatement of the year. One of the biggest arguments when we were in Hawaii was between Max and his grandparents. He flat out refused to wear socks even when it was 28 degrees outside! He hates wearing anything but soft cotton elastic waistband shorts; and putting on a helmet to go bike-riding was out of the question. He just can't stand any clothing that feels restrictive. But when Max is at the riding center (Open My World) he is a different person.

I have never seen that much self-control from him ever. Of course, I did point out to him before he started that if he was loud or made sudden movements, he might spook the horse. This, in turn, could result in getting stepped on or kicked, which could lead to a broken foot or death. Besides that, he has done beautifully! They teach him everything about taking care of "Smoky": grooming, tacking, feeding, riding... After only a few lessons, Max moved into a riding saddle. If you're going to be in the saddle, you really need to dress the part. Max actually asked for jeans and cowboy boots! And he wears his helmet (correctly) without any arguing every single lesson. He's trotting in the arena, steering his horse over obstacles, riding on the trail- it's amazing and he just loves it!

My favorite part is that Max now wears jeans to school on cold days! He even wore his cowboy boots (with socks) for the annual stomping of Bluebonnet seeds on the school's front lawn. I've been reading up more and more about animals in therapy and wonder if one in the house might help. Our local libraries actually bring therapy dogs in to help children with reading difficulties. As much as he ticced last year during projects and reading, I wonder if petting a dog at the same time would help calm him down and make it easier. Of course, there's the challenge of actually taking care of another living thing in our house (that is if it doesn't choke on the legos). So this is still being very carefully considered. Several people suggested getting him a horse. Ha! I don't think the HOA would go for that one.