I have always wanted to be a Special Education teacher. I started deciding what I wanted to do in the eighth grade. This was also around the time I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s is an autism spectrum disorder; people with it show difficulties in social interactions, and reading body language. For me, I have trouble making friends and having age appropriate conversations. It is difficult to read people’s emotions, which sometimes gets me into trouble. I have been given the gift to be able to help teach other children with special needs how to ride horses, and also learn about how the horses communicate with these riders differently then a “normal” person. Through working with Ian I have been able to obtain a better understanding of my career goals. I started riding with a Therapeutic Horseback riding program called “One Step at a Time.” I started riding because I enjoyed watching my sister ride, and it seemed challenging and fun. Jo Wood was my riding instructor. Working with horses helped to increase my self-confidence, and self-esteem. I also developed better relationships with people. I improved my social skills as well as riding. I also found a connection with an amazing animal that was very forgiving. Horseback riding became my passion. I rode with Jo for seven years. I participated in the Special Olympics, for Bucks County. Everyone at the Special Olympics has some type of disability, and find joy in doing what they love. The smiles are like nothing you can imagine. It just opens your heart up to people. I not only participated in the Special Olympics as an athlete, but I went as a volunteer in 2009. I worked with many of the athletes. I helped the athletes get ready for bed at night, and I talked to ... ... middle of paper ... ...be able to step out of your own shoes, and walk in theirs. There is no manual, to working with children with special needs. Every child is different. You cannot pick and choose who you want to work with. You take what you get. You need to have control of your own emotions, and feelings. If you mess up, or become unfocused, there are going to be consequences. You need to be patient, and take each moment as it comes. You also have to be able to plan, ahead of time. You need different activities, and learning tools. Most of all working with special needs kids you need to have compassion. You need to set aside your own life and own problems and put all of yourself in to what you are doing. It is difficult, because sometimes you just want to do it yourself, because its easier. The point is to teach these children how to live, and accept themselves for who they are.
Why? That seems to be a constant question society asks every time a tragic incident happens in the world or a child suffers from abuse or depression. Why do these things occur? The answer is still unknown, but the way of helping those who struggle from mental illnesses, abuse, or depression is not unknown. Allowing those individuals into a place that gives them a sense of safeness and a comfortable place to talk will show them strength and support and will also help them deal with their tragic event or problem. However, there are more ways than just sitting in a room talking about an individual's problems to help overcome the recurring issues in today's society, such as using therapeutic animals like horses to help individuals feel more at
In the profession of a special education teacher, a person commits to helping children achieve their best and to help “students overcome their obstacles” while finding a way that the child can effectively learn (Hollingsworth). My mom’s career as special education teacher for twenty-two years, allows me insight and experience into the tougher aspects of this career, but also the rewards to the job. My mom helps me understand that a special education teacher guides a child to expand their strengths, develop strategies to overcome weakness, and to make best use of all available resources. Through helping her, and learning from her experiences, she taught me that a career in special education can not only challenge me, but may also become a mission.
Although horse assisted therapy is growing in popularity and supporters, there are those that present valid surface-level arguments against it. The most obvious and basic drawback to an equine aid is the accessibility. Horses are large animals that cannot be easily brought to a patient, unlike other smaller and more popular therapy animals, like dogs (Fundukian). A patient in most situations must be brought to the horse in order to participate in the therapy, and for those with severe impairments this may be too great of a challenge. However, although it is true, the accessibility of horses is an issue, it could easily be solved if the therapy received more support. More centers, closer and with methods specifically designed to make the therapy
Two years ago, I embarked on a journey that would teach me more than I had ever imagined. As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to finally begin my teaching career in a field I have always held close to my heart. My first two years as a special education teacher presented countless challenges, however, it also brought me great fulfillment and deepened my passion for teaching students with special needs. The experiences I have had both before and after this pivotal point in my life have undoubtedly influenced my desire to further my career in the field of special education.
The Special Olympics is an incredible organization; their sole purpose is to make a person feel equal, and give them that sense accomplishment. The Special Olympics is made up of 4.2 million athletes with intellectual disabilities including coaches, families and celebrities that motivate them and support them every day.
A stable or a therapy room? Which would you prefer? A fun time with a gentle horse or a therapy room with tan walls working on stretching. Equine Therapy makes stretching and working on therapy more fun. You can enjoy your time doing therapy, than dreading every morning that you need to go to it.
Thank you for attending and fully participating in our Rocking Horse Therapy program. We would really like to confirm that you are fine with us using the footage (photo’s, videos etc.) during the program to share within the DHB as a presentation to funders. Please do let us know if you have changed your mind. We really hope you enjoy the pictures, we really enjoyed our time with you.
There are many different types of therapy; but the therapy that I have been hearing quite a controversy about one in particular, Equine therapy. Equine therapy is the use of horses for any type of therapy, whether it is behavioral issues in teens, to veterans who have Post-Triadic Stress Disorder. The list goes on and on. I believe that there is a spontaneous connection between a horse and a rider, the reason I believe this is because throughout history the human has always sought out the horse for many different reasons: transportation, inspiration, work, responsibility, companionship, and more. There have been recent studies that say there seems to also be a working connection between progression in helping
Horses are animals that have established a very special connection with man through riding. Therapeutic horses have been used to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Horseback riding therapy has a positive effect on their communication, motor skills, and social skills. Children with autism have trouble to handle their senses, horseback riding helps them to focus completely on one task. Alexandra Dingman states “ the patience, loyalty, and quiet responsiveness of a horse frequently engender positive feelings in a child, making a relationship with a horse especially helpful to a child who is having difficulties in life ( Harris,2010,pg.10)‴.
I have enjoyed my time at Windridge Therapeutic Equestrian Center and I have learned many things while I have been there. I have always heard and known, that horses are a great form of therapy, but I really didn’t know just how much of an impact they can make on a person. A few of the benefits I have gotten to witness with our riders are in their gross motor, gait patterns, social interactions, processing skills, cognition, and self-confidence. Horses are therapeutic in many ways and I think that is due to two specific things, their movement and the way they interact with people. Their movement creates a stimulus for the riders that many times they cannot get anywhere else, it gives them the proprioception that their joints need, it creates
I have always known that I would be in the education field. Both my mom and aunt are retired teachers. I spent countless hours in their classrooms growing up, seeing first hand the passion and hard work that goes into teaching. Unlike my role models, I chose a different path as an undergraduate student. I chose to begin my educational career in the science field, which enabled me to work for a pharmaceutical laboratory. However this left me wanting more, knowing that my true passion was being in a classroom. After to moving to Florida for my husband to pursue his PhD, I too went back to school for my alternate certification and fell more in love with teaching than I thought was possible.
Equine therapy is a big part of the phoenix center. It promotes emotional growth, provides a different approach to therapy for a child that is therapy resistant, and teaches children how horses learn and how they can connect that to their own lives. The type of kids that come to the Phoenix center are the ones that deal with a lack of confidence, trust, and self-acceptance. All this is due to their experience with trauma. Studies have shown that equine therapy can be very effective dealing with those and other things including depression, anxiety, autism, etc.
THE HYPE ABOUT HORSE THERAPY 1 Kela Banta Mrs. Doyle Comp 231 4/13/2017 The Hype About Horse Therapy Horses are extremely similar to humans in many ways: They use facial expressions to express their mood, they have a wide range of vocalizations that are highly important for communication with other horses, and their gait is extraordinarily close to our own. Their similar gait is part of what makes horses an ideal animal for therapy use. According to Smith, because a horse’s gait is rhythmic, variable, and repetitive like ours, “a child who has never walked or has an abnormal gait can feel what ‘normal’ feels like.” It’s not only a horse’s walk that makes them great for therapy settings; there are many other reasons why horses are some therapist’s first choice as a therapy tool. Some children and adults are very scared of animals or have anxiety, panic, or phobia disorders, and working with horses in spite of their fears builds confidence and is made to be a symbol of other challenges in life that they can overcome.
It also taught me that not everyone is cut out to teach those with special needs, and it taught me that I am able to teach those children. The small amount of time with those children also taught me that when you love to do something you should do it and never give up. Since I was blessed with that learning opportunity I want to continue on this path of becoming a teacher. Knowing what I want to do will be a positive influence on my academic work and goals here at Colorado Christian University. I say this because it is easier to achieve my goals because I am going to be learning about something I am passionate about. My passion for learning and helping will help me succeed on my learning journey. I understand that doing my best in school will help me become a better teacher. It is important to put my all into learning so I can teach our youth. I know that my teaching opportunity will help me in school because I know what to expect from school and how important it is to my best all the time. I have my main goal which is to become a
There is so much to know about special education that is separate from teaching in a traditional classroom. One thing that has really stood out to me is how many acronyms and terminology these teachers need to know. IEP, LRE, IDEA, FAPE, IFSP, and that is just to name a few (DREDF, 2017). Special education teachers, really need to be knowledgeable about a ton of things. Not only all of the terminology associated with special education, but about disabilities and the best way to go about educating a child with disabilities. When working with children in special education, there will be students of all ages with all kinds of disabilities and different ability levels that you are teaching. It is important to know about each child’s disabilities, what they should be learning and how they should be learning it. There may be times that are challenging education students with disabilities, but when a teacher properly educates themselves on all the aspects of special education and the resources out there for them, it may help make your classroom run more smoothly and easier to