Horseback Riding or Martial Arts? What would you pick?

[Guest bookwormmama]

If you could pick one form of "therapy" for your Asperger's child and have it paid for... what would you pick?

 

Therapeutic horseback riding for special needs children program {7 week program}

 

Martial Arts for special needs children {with the master being trained in child psychology and has a special needs program for ADHD, Asperger's, Autism, etc} - {year long program}

 

Thanks!

[JFSinIL]

Could you get a free lesson in each and let the child try each and decide????

 

Is the child's attention span long enough for martial arts?

 

My kid would prefer the horseback riding...

[Guest bookwormmama]

I am not sure whether my daughter's attention span would be long enough for martial arts. I do know that the specific class she would be in there is designed specifically for kids with special needs.... and tailored to them. So I am 'assuming' that they have experience with kids with short attention spans. I think my dd would love the horseback riding lessons more... :}

[Wyndie]

Would you be able to continue the horseback riding after the 7 weeks or would it have to stop?

[Terabith]

I think a year long program would be more worthwhile than seven weeks. Although, if I had a child who was horse crazy, I'd probably make a different choice.

[2cents]

We're a martial arts family (Taekwondo). My son and I have Black Belts and I think it is one of the best sports. If you get a good Dojo and Sensei you will learn much more than the Taekwondo forms. It is great for teambuilding and builds confidence. We like horses too but the ones that are good near us are very expensive and I like sports we can do pretty much year round indoors.

[Jill- OK]

Granted, I have a weirdness about martial arts that practically no one I know shares, lol, but I also believe in the therapeutic potential of animal interaction for Asperger's kids.

 

Have you read any of the books about kids with Asperger's/autism spectrum disorders who have had "breakthroughs" due to animal interaction? It's an interesting phenomenon.

 

My dd has always been a horse lover, and that--combined with what I believe to be the potential of it as a simpler guide for regular relational connecting--has made me put horseback riding at the top of the priority list for dd.

 

If I knew of therapeutic results for Asperger's kids from martial arts, I might answer differently, but I can't see how it would foster reading responses from peers, or exercising relational reciprocity, which are goals for us. (Others might have info I'm not privy to, or kids who have different specific needs with regards to their struggles that might somehow be served by martial arts).

 

My dd has already commented about our new puppy "sensing" when she's sad, and related how her brother has told her that animals can sense things that humans can't. I believe this gives kids with Asperger's a chance to relate on a simpler level, and possibly (eventually) apply that experience on a human scale.

 

Just one mom's opinion. :-)

[Jill- OK]

...about this, you can Google "autism animal therapy", and I *think* that Temple Grandin (an animal scientist who is also autistic) has written about this.

 

I haven't read either of these yet, but I have Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism by Dawn Prince-Hughes, PhD, and The Horse Boy: A Father’s Quest to Heal His Son by Rupert Isaacson on hold through my library, and they both deal with this subject.

Edited June 7, 2009 by Jill, OK

[Dobela]

Wow, both are such good opportunities. Honestly, if I could, and the person paying was willing, I would do the horseback riding first (for the 7 weeks) then transfer into the martial arts for the remainder of the year. That way both could happen ;)

 

Horseback riding gives such a confidence boost in kids beyond any therapy from my experience. Not every child is able to ride a horse and knowing that they can now ride a horse makes them special and different in a special way from others. Lots of kids do martial arts so it isn't as "special".

 

I would also want to talk to the instructors at martial arts. My son was hurt by a kid that couldn't control himself as much during a session. It was subtle, and not obvious that my son was hit harder than he should have been. My son now refuses to have anything to do with martial arts because he doesn't want to be hurt. When you have kids with sensory issues, how do they know a child isn't being hit too hard and such when they start sparring??

[Guest bookwormmama]

I heard and have read that martial arts is great for kids with sensory issues and Autism because it helps them learn about respecting other people's boundaries and they learn about how to protect themselves and how to teach others to respect them. These are issues I am seriously concerned about with my daughter as she has NO healthy boundaries with others and even complete strangers. She will sit in a stranger's lap and kiss their cheek or lick a kid on the face whom she doesn't know. She is a beautiful little girl and someday will be a gorgeous young lady and I know that boys who would like to take advantage of someone would most likely choose a girl like her... gorgeous and boundary-less. Part of her problem is not knowing what other people are trying to say with their body language and she misinterprets all kinds of things.

The master of the martial arts program we are considering has a special needs class for kids with autism, Asperger's, ADHD and other issues. He has a psychology degree in this area with kids and they have a large number of kids in their program who are now black belts that have full blown autism.

 

As for the horse class... my daughter is an animal lover... so much so that she thinks she IS an animal at times. She has no fear of animals and many animals that don't like people seem to love her and let her near them without a problem. She is gifted in that area. I know horse back riding would help her too. It is a shorter class and more expensive. If I had all the money in the world, I would buy our own horse and move out to the country where she could ride all day. :}

 

Anyways, these are the thoughts that are running through my head about this. Thank you for everyone for your suggestions so far. I am actually reading "The Way I See It" right now by Temple Grandin. Amazing lady.

 

Thanks

[Himfirst]

These are both potentially great programs and ultimately only you can decide which is best for your child. I would suggest checking out both programs and seeing which you "Feel" better about. Obviously, you will have more benefit from a year long program.

 

I, personally, have been involved in Martial Arts for almost 30 years. It is absolutely the best thing my father could have enrolled me in. I initially was interested because my older brother was involved (And I wanted to do EVERYthing he did...but, girls didn't play football. LOL) I recerived my black belt by age 12 and y age 16 I was the manager of a studio. I have been able to compete internationally, as well as own several of my own studios. I say all of this just to show that I am speaking from a very experienced voice. Here are the facts:

 

1)There are MANY styles and studios, and just like anything else there are good instructors/programs and poor instructors/programs. One person's experience, even under the same instruction, may vary greatly from someone elses.

 

2)Good, reputable instructors will let you observe and even try a class (or several) before making a commitment. So, check them out. See if the program is right for your specific child.

 

3) I have had many children with issues (ADHD, Down's Syndrome, blindness, etc) who have truly benefitted from Marial Arts. It is a very individualized activity; however, good programs foster good citizenship, character, teamwork, etc. A good instructor will meet your child where they are and try to help him/her reach their full potential (Not someone else's potential)

 

4) Different styles do different things. Sparring doesn't even enter the picture in some programs for a minimum of 5-6 months. Also, some specialized programs leave out certain activities for special needs students.

 

As I stated, I personally believe Martial Arts can be a GREAT endeavor. I have gained so much from Martial Arts. (Confidence, Self-Defense Skills, Leadership, Humility, Perserverance, Integrity, Self-Control...just to name a few) But, I know that not all programs are reputable. In addition, I firmly believe in animal therapy and other wonderful programs. God made each of us differently and no one program will work for all. I just want to encourage you to check them both out and allow your instincts as a parent to choose what seems best for you child. Also, your child may just really "Take" to one or the other.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I have done both horseback riding and martial arts in my life. Horseback riding was about 18 months, but martial arts was for 12 years.

 

When it was time to have my Asperger child to start a sport, I chose horseback riding. He was 8yo, he's now 11. We still draw on his experience as a rider to explain human behaviour. He did ride for a year. The contact with the horse is very important, a horse doesn't lie, doesn't fake. The rider is responsible for his horse. It's a very important situation to be put in.

 

As for martial arts, it's a discipline. That, for me, means you will get the full impact of the sport after many years, not after a few weeks. It takes years and years for the discipline to develop, and to really understand the concept of respect. A 7 week program does not cut it. You'd get more results from a short stint with riding than one with martial arts. If this were a decision for a sport for the next, oh, 10 years, my answer might be different. But short term? horseback riding, hands down.

[Guest bookwormmama]

Wow thanks everyone... I am really appreciating all the great feedback. As for whether this would be long term or short term, although the horseback riding lessons were set for 7 weeks, we can do them again and again and again.

I am hoping, planning, that whatever activity we get my daughter involved in that it will be a long term therapy for her...either horseback riding or martial arts. We have 5 other children as well, 2 more with special needs also, so we can not put them all in more than one activity, but we want it to be worth their while whatever we do put them in which is why I am taking so much time with this. I hope that makes more sense and thank you so much again for your responses!

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I was thinking about you last night, and came up with a list of things my son learned through riding.

 

1. Voice control. The horse does not understand your words. The horse understands your tone. Quiet tone, loving tone, demanding tone, etc... Then you can explain that people often react to tone before they grasp the words. It's just as important to people to have proper voice tone.

 

2. Gestures. If your child is a flapper, or a spinner, this is a good one. My son tended to 'fly' with his arms, although on a very limited scale. Still, he learned that rapid movements, even though short in time, will scare a horse. Or at least make it fidgety.

 

3. Proper greetings. A rider is in charge of his horse. That includes grooming before the class, and after the class. Grooming a horse is a way of greeting the horse. "Hi, I like you, I take care of you".. A friendship needs to be groomed too. When the friend arrives, it's "hi! I'm glad you're here. We'll have great fun together". When the friend leaves, "I enjoyed our time together, thanks for coming". And that's on top of the therapeutic advantages of touching a living, breathing animal, when grooming.

 

4. Contradictory signals (especially good for beginner riders!). Very often, a beginner rider will send wrong signals to the horse. Pressing with the legs to go forward, while pulling on the reins, thus making the horse stop, is a very common mistake. Horses will 'obey' the wrong command most of the time. It's the same thing with people. If you tell Auntie Maddy you like the meatloaf but you're frowning, Auntie will pick up on the frown more than the words. If you tell Dad you're interested in what he's saying but you're looking at the spider in the corner of the room, guess which one he'll understand first?

 

5. Compliance. My son had a non-compliant horse. One that always wanted to stand in the middle, and wait out the class. My son had to work extra hard to get that horse walking around, and trotting. He was getting frustrated at the horse. I pointed out that *that* was the reason I was often frustrated at him. He, as a child, was not compliant at all. Every thing was a fight with him. He understood pretty quickly how I felt.

[Ottakee]

Personally, I would do the riding but that is because both of my girls ride, I first met my ds at therapeutic riding (his foster family was taking him), and I like horses.

 

What does your child want to do? If they have a strong desire either way then I would do that. Otherwise, try the therapeutic riding for 7 weeks and if it is enjoyable then continue, if not, go with martial arts.

 

My girls both rode in therapeutic riding and now both have their own horses and ride 5 or 6 days a week. It has been SO good for them, esp. my 13dd who is more impaired. She can catch her 16hh horse, bring him in, feed him, brush him out, almost tack him alone (hard to get the saddle right above her head).

 

Make sure the riding facility takes very good care of their horses, has good safety rules in place, etc. Horses can be very theapeutic and fun but they are animals.

[Guest bookwormmama]

Thank you so much everyone for so many wonderful ideas and things to consider. I talked with my dd and she wants to do both! LOL

So I will talk this over with my husband and we'll have to decide which one. I am tending to lean towards doing both of them though that can get very expensive. We also have piano lessons thrown in there too for three oldest children so we have a lot to consider for sure.

I am grateful to everyone's responses and great suggestions! Thanks! I'll let you know what we decide to do! :001_smile: