An Equine Therapy Success Story

In this news article, we share a wonderful story about an 11-year-old NDIS participant from Rutherford, NSW living with level three autism and behaviour disorders.

By finding out who people really are and what motivates them intrinsically, we can help people identify unique ways to achieve their goals and to help them soar!

Reason for Contacting All About You Supports

A medical organisation in the Hunter Valley was also an NDIS service provider, we had worked together in the past and they had heard additional positive comments about our support coordination services.

They were providing services to the participant and thought that we would be best suited for this particular family. The family had been receiving NDIS supports since the participant was aged 7 (NDIA managed), however, this was the first time they wanted support coordination included in their plan.

There were quite substantial changes in their circumstances that required the participant to have extra services and supports, so they asked us if we could assist.

Initial Appointment

At all initial meetings, it is helpful for us to review information (such as advice and guidance from the medical organisation) that may be important for us to know.

We learned that the participant’s behaviours were worsening over time, there was a component of aggressive behaviour too, and the family expressed the situation felt difficult and testing.

The initial meeting took place between the parents, a support provider and a wonderful AAYS Support Coordinator. We are always mindful to ask ourselves ‘are we the most appropriate provider to support this person?’.

Our support coordinator felt we could best help this participant because we work closely with Behaviour Therapists on a regular basis. We knew that by finding the right behaviour therapist, we could provide the right supports for this family.

In this case, our staff member had extensive experience working with people living with autism, so they were able to draw upon their background and experience.

Setting Meaningful Goals

One of the goals we set for this particular client was to help control the outbursts and moderate their behaviour overall.

This would be achieved in several ways:

Providing strategies and supports to help them self-regulate through Behaviour Therapy
Working on social skills that would help them in family life
Searching for an appropriate carer that would connect with the participant
Identifying social & community participation avenues that were conducive

We had also learned that the participant had most of their outbursts at busy school holiday events. We felt that placing them into smaller social settings would be of benefit and the family agreed.

Equine Therapy in the Hunter Valley

AAYS has amazing support coordinators. One thing we pride ourselves on is to learn what people truly love, and then try to integrate that into their NDIS plan.

We learned that the participant loves animals and responds really well to being around them. Our staff thought that we could best use that as a therapy tool for this particular client. So, the participant was enrolled and attended equine therapy through the school holidays!

The equine therapy took place in the beautiful Lovedale in the Hunter Valley over several day trips.

Afterwards, we asked the family for feedback on the experience and they said:

“It was actually really incredible. They had the best school holidays in quite a few years. They came home with positive stories and actually engaged with siblings and shared photos. They took some of the activities that they did at equine therapy and did them at home with two younger siblings”.

We were proud to hear this news. We plan to help this person access equine therapy multiple times per year. We can also visit Hunter Valley Zoo, Blackbutt Reserve and more!

Behaviour Therapy at Home

A Behaviour Therapist was engaged to visit the family once per fortnight.

The therapist would actually take the participant out into the community and teach them strategies to self-regulate their emotions. This includes challenging scenarios that would typically overwhelm the participant, to help them develop the necessary skills to build their independence in the community.

Feedback from the Family

In addition to the quote above, we have received positive feedback. The family is happy with the supports they have received in the short time they have partnered with AAYS. They felt our engagement has been a benefit to their child.

Our Thoughts

Our NDIS Support Coordinator involved was already very experienced with helping people with autism, however, was not as versed with the behaviour component. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from this participant so we can serve the community with new-found experience.

We formed a meaningful relationship and are very proud to soar together. We truly represent our participants to the best of our ability.