Animals For Young-Autism & Special Needs Center

08/11/2025

Encouraging children to help one another during group activities promotes important social, emotional, and cognitive development.

When children assist their peers, they learn empathy, cooperation, and patience—key components of social-emotional growth.

It also strengthens their communication and problem-solving skills as they learn to explain ideas, offer guidance, and listen to others’ perspectives.

This experience fosters a sense of responsibility and teamwork, helping children understand that success often comes from collaboration rather than competition.

Additionally, it builds confidence and leadership qualities in the helper, while the child receiving help feels supported and included, enhancing their sense of belonging and self-esteem.

Overall, peer helping nurtures positive relationships, emotional maturity, and community-minded behavior.

07/11/2025

Bonding with the horse is an important part of hippotherapy because it helps children feel safe, calm, and connected during the session.

When a child develops trust and comfort with the horse, it reduces anxiety and increases their willingness to participate in therapeutic activities.

This emotional connection encourages relaxation, which can improve posture, breathing, and body control.

Bonding also supports social and emotional development, as children learn empathy, responsibility, and care through interacting with the horse.

Furthermore, when children feel emotionally connected, they become more motivated and focused, allowing therapists to work more effectively on physical, sensory, and communication goals.

Overall, the bond between the child and horse creates a strong foundation for both emotional growth and therapeutic progress.

06/11/2025

Placing pegs on the body is a fun and therapeutic activity that benefits children in several developmental areas.

It helps improve fine motor skills as they use finger strength and coordination to pinch and place the pegs.

The activity also enhances body awareness (a part of sensory integration), as children identify and locate different parts of their body to place the pegs on.

This supports their understanding of body boundaries and spatial orientation.

Additionally, it encourages focus, attention, and motor planning, as they must think about where and how to place each peg.

It can also build confidence and engagement through playful interaction while strengthening important sensory–motor foundations.

04/11/2025

Prone positioning on the horse, where the child lies on their stomach, is an effective activity in hippotherapy to promote core strengthening.

When the horse moves, the child must engage their abdominal, back, and hip muscles to maintain balance and stability against the horse’s rhythmic motion.

Reaching for a bean bag while in this position adds an additional challenge by encouraging trunk extension, rotation, and coordinated limb movement.

This combination enhances postural control, core endurance, and body awareness, which are essential for functional skills such as sitting, standing, and overall balance in daily activities.

04/11/2025

Happy minds learn best, and even better when we learn together with friends! 👬💫📚

01/11/2025

Counting made fun with everyday objects! 🎲🌈

31/10/2025

Eraser practice benefits both sensory and fine motor development in children.

The act of holding and rubbing an eraser provides tactile and proprioceptive sensory input, allowing children to feel different textures, resistance, and pressure through their fingers and hands.

This helps them become more aware of how much force to use when gripping and moving objects.

At the same time, it strengthens fine motor skills by engaging the small muscles in the hands and fingers, improving coordination, precision, and control.

These skills are essential for daily tasks such as writing, drawing, dressing, and using tools.

Overall, eraser practice supports sensory regulation and enhances fine motor readiness for academic and self-care activities.

31/10/2025

30/10/2025

Blowing practice helps children in both speech development and sensory processing.

From a speech perspective, blowing activities strengthen the oral motor muscles — including the lips, cheeks, and diaphragm — which are essential for proper breath control, sound production, and articulation.

It also encourages children to coordinate breathing and mouth movements, improving their ability to produce clearer speech sounds.

From a sensory perspective, blowing offers proprioceptive and oral-tactile input, helping children become more aware of sensations in and around the mouth.

This can be particularly beneficial for children who are hypersensitive or hyposensitive in the oral area, as it promotes regulation and tolerance to different sensations.

Overall, blowing practice supports both communication and sensory integration by improving motor control, focus, and self-regulation.

30/10/2025

Spy mode: ON! Who can find all the numbers first? 🕵️‍♂️✨

29/10/2025

Touching a horse provides rich tactile sensory input for children during hippotherapy.

The horse’s body offers a variety of textures — warm skin, coarse hair, smooth mane, and even the saddle and reins — all stimulating the child’s sense of touch.

This sensory experience helps children become more aware of different surfaces and sensations, improving their ability to process and respond appropriately to tactile input.

For children who are either over- or under-sensitive to touch, interacting with the horse can help regulate their tactile system in a calm and natural way.

Through consistent contact, children may develop better body awareness, emotional regulation, and comfort with touch, which can translate into improved daily functioning and confidence in other sensory-rich environments.