Tagged with Autism

Decision Making Skills

One of my riders with autism has difficulties making decisions. It is interesting: when asked to make a decision outright, such as “Would you like to lead your horse by the reins or the lead rope?” she has an extremely hard time and takes at least 5 minutes with assistance. It seems she has absolutely … Continue reading

Riders with Autism Part 4 – Teaching Techniques

Now that you’ve got some resources for your lesson plan, here are some resources for teaching techniques on interacting with riders and dealing with specific behaviors. Again, most of this info is from Susan McDowell’s seminar “TOOLS from the AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS SURVIVAL KIT,” and Claudine Pelletier-Milet’s book Riding on the Autism Spectrum. Riders with Autism Part 4 … Continue reading

Fun Video Friday: Breaking through autism

This is an interesting story about one boy with Autism. I like how it teaches you can use one’s fixation to teach them about the world, instead of trying to break their fixation. It’s about meeting them where they are at – and not just people with Autism, but everyone in life. I discovered this … Continue reading

Teaching Tips: Social Stories

Social Stories What A “Social Story” is a story used to model appropriate social interaction by describing a situation with relevant social cues, other’s perspectives, and a suggested appropriate response. Why Helps teach students routines, expectations, and behavioral standards in an alternative format (story, visual, etc.) Can be personalized to individual behavioral intervention Particularly helpful/popular … Continue reading