In many ways, my son Colin is like any typical 9 year old boy. He loves to listen to music on his IPod and play games on the family computer. He plays baseball and loves to swim. He wrestles with his little brother and appeases his little sister with an occasional tea party. Colin gets a kick out of joking around and gets along well with his friends at school. His favorite pastime is reading books, especially anything by Dr. Seuss or Todd Parr. His favorite band is the Imagination Movers. I think he watches their concert once or twice per day. I don’t mind. I’m all too glad to move on from the Wiggles!  He also loves to visit his grandparent’s house in Little Rock and to Skype with his Grandma who lives in Louisiana.

I like to say that Colin is more like his peers than different, despite the fact that he was born with Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome. It is estimated that 1 in every 800 individuals are born with Down syndrome, a genetic condition that results in an extra copy of the 21^st chromosome. Individuals with Down syndrome are likely to have developmental delays in most core areas of development. However, they can perform many of the tasks their typical peers can perform; it just may take them a bit longer to learn them.

Individuals with Down syndrome may also have behavioral or sensory issues. Colin reacts differently to sensory information than typical children. For example, he may seek out certain sounds or visual stimuli, or he may be bothered by certain sounds. Colin loves movement. In fact, he has a hammock swing in his play room that he uses whenever he needs to sense movement.

Special Animals for Special People

To address some of his sensory issues, Colin works with Omari, a four-year-old therapy dog who is the sweetest golden retriever on the planet, in my opinion. According to Stacy Alberson, Colin’s occupational therapist, Omari has fallen head over heels in love with Colin, and I can attest the feeling is mutual. Omari addresses Colin's sensory needs and also provides comfort and reassurance under circumstances that would otherwise be very difficult for him.

Omari does this by providing pressure on Colin's body to help calm and reduce his anxiety when he is in such highly stressful situations as dental visits, preparation for handwriting or when he's transitioning from his parents to therapy. The therapist uses Omari to teach Colin responsibility, safety awareness and encourage him to work harder and longer with a positive attitude because he is helping her. Her snuggles, handshakes and kisses are the best reward for his hard work.

For example, a trip to the dentist's office used to be a nightmare for us. Colin became extremely anxious the minute he entered the office. He would go the bathroom repeatedly to avoid the visit, and it would take four people holding him down just to have his teeth cleaned. We tried everything to help. Head phones, iPhones, cartoons, singing, etc., but nothing worked.

That is when I brought up the problem with Stacy, she began practicing dentist visits during Colin’s therapy sessions with Omari. Their work involved exposing Colin to all of the sensations he could expect at the dental office and showing him how to react appropriately to them. After several sessions, we were ready for a trip to the dentist with Omari at Colin’s side. The only word that comes to mind is amazing. Omari knew exactly how to respond to Colin’s anxiety. Not only did Colin get a full dental cleaning and exam without crying and without being held down, but Dr. Gerald Friend, Colin’s dentist, was able to get a full panoramic x-ray of Colin’s mouth – procedure that required him to stay completely still for 20 seconds. 

Recently, Colin had to have three teeth extracted to make room for new teeth. During the procedure, Colin had to wear the mask that delivers nitric oxide gas and receive injections – two things I never thought he could do. With Omari's companionship, Colin did wonderful. The entire process took less than 10 minutes. When Dr. Friend came out to talk to us he said, “He did great!” My husband and I were so relieved. We are so thankful to Dr. Friend, Stacy and Omari for helping Colin to have a positive experience.

I always say that Colin is one of the hardest working 9 year olds around. Not only does he receive speech, occupational, and physical therapy in school, he receives both speech and occupational therapy in an at-home setting as well. This is in addition to the work he does with animals. Hippotherapy and canine therapy have both proven to be not only enjoyable for Colin, but very beneficial in so many ways. I don’t know how we can ever thank these beautiful creatures for the work they do and the companionship they provide.

A Different Kind of Horsepower

Because of Colin's unique sensory needs, his mother Dawn sought out hippotherapy – physical and occupational therapy using horses – for him. "I read how hippotherapy could improve core strength, balance, and coordination, as well as provide sensory input for children like Colin," she said.

Vaal, the horse Colin currently rides at Hearts and Hooves in Sherwood, has turned out to be a true companion. "Colin’s signing, gestures and voicing are encouraged by when Vaal moves, turns or trots at Colin’s request," explained Stacey. "Vaal provides movement to improve Colin's overall muscle strength and endurance, sensory input to help organize and enhance his processing abilities and provides intrinsic motivation for Colin to achieve his best every session."

According to Dawn, hippotherapy has also improved Colin’s speech and social behaviors by providing interaction with a horse who somehow seems to respond to his needs. In fact, she notes, "Colin’s teacher once told me that she knew when Colin had just come from hippotherapy because he behaves and does exceptionally well at school."

For more information on hippotherapy, read Lindsay Irvin's story from our November 2010 issue of Special Family.