"Every child deserves a champion; an adult who insists they become the best they can possibly be."

Many complex processes contribute to a child’s ability to speak, including motor learning, motor planning, sensory processing and sensory integration.  The production of a single syllable requires the  participation of 8-10 body parts and the coordinated action of 70  muscles. Because speech is a complex motor task involving so many different muscles and body parts, it is important the entire body be addressed.  Inadequate trunk control, instability at the shoulder girdle, and poor stability in the head, neck and jaw can all negatively impact speech production. Recognizing that speech is a movement task means we must also recognize the importance of an intact sensory  processing system, because the ability to move well requires feedback to the brain from the... 

Speech Language Pathology in Motion uses horses in our treatment for several different reasons.  The farm is a language rich environment and provides a lot to talk about.  Patients respond well to being around the animals and to being outdoors.  Many times the patients do not realize that they are working on therapy goals. The horse's walking gait moves the human body in a similar pattern to the human pelvis while walking.  The therapist is able to facilitate increased trunk control, stability and breath support through the movement of the horse.  These functions support speech and language. The horse’s walk provides sensory input through movement, which is variable, rhythmic, and repetitive.  While on the horse, the patient moves up and down, forward and back, side to side and through space as the horse walks. This type of  movement is not able to be replicated in a clinic.  The therapist carefully chooses horses for each patient based on the type of movement they produce.  The variability of the horse’s gait enables the therapist to grade the degree of sensory input to the patient, and then utilize this movement in combination with other speech-language pathology treatment strategies to achieve desired results. A wide variety of speech and language goals can be addressed while on the horse, and around the farm. 

While many children and adults benefit from Hippotherapy and Equine Assisted Therapy, it is not for everyone.  There are several factors that may make hippotherapy or equine assisted therapy contraindicated.  

The treatment plan is different for each patient.  At the time of your evaluation it will be determined if Hippotherapy should be a part of the treatment plan, and to what extent.  The  scheduled session times are 30, 45 or 60 minutes, and typically are provided 1-3 times/week.  It is at the therapist’s discretion how much of that time is spent on the horse, in the barn, and in the treatment room.  Each patient tolerates different amounts of time on the horse.  Spending time around the farm and in the clinic facilitates carry over of skills achieved while on the horse, and is a very important part of the treatment. The therapist has extensive training in conducting approach, and will use this expertise in determining how the session will be spent by taking into account many variables (including but not limited to the best way to address specific speech-language goals, safety, and patient performance). 

Hippotherapy is safe when provided by a trained therapist, with the help of a specially trained team.  The use of equine movement at Speech Language Pathology in Motion is done with carefully selected horses, and well trained horse handlers and side walkers.  Our therapists have extensive experience working with horses and training in the use of hippotherapy and equine assisted speech therapy. A research study conducted by Rebecca Cook, OTR, HPCS found that "The hippotherapy injury rate (1/14,386) is significantly lower compared with recreational riders (1/100)." 

Additional safety information can be found here. 

At Speech Language Pathology in Motion, we begin utilizing hippotherapy within treatment sessions for children as young as 18 months of age, when deemed appropriate by the treating therapist and primary care physician.  

"Traditional" speech language therapy relies on auditory and visual systems to provide information about sound production. PROMPT therapy adds another dimension to the process of learning to talk, by providing information to the tactile system.  Adding this dimension helps children  and adults to better understand timing and placement for speech production by providing them with physical cues in addition to visual and auditory cues.  Sensory feedback from movements is stored and as the child is provided multiple opportunities for practice muscle memory builds and movement patterns for speech improve. 

Yes!  For many patients we are able to incorporate a variety of treatment tools or approaches at the same time.  Many of the approaches and tools utilized at Speech Language Pathology in Motion complement each other well and easily are integrated into sessions. For example, hippotherapy and PROMPT go together nicely because they both embody motor learning theory and both take the whole body into consideration when addressing speech and language goals.  The same can be said for DIRFloortime and hippotherapy as these techniques also complement each other well and when combined are highly effective in the remediation speech and language difficulties and improving motor planning abilities.  

Motor Speech Disorders are impairments in one or more of the motor processes that are required for speech.  Children with motor speech disorders may exhibit motor deficits in one or more of the following areas:

• Sensory Processing and Motor Planning: Two major types of sensory input, tactile and proprioceptive, are closely linked to the acquisition of well-controlled movements for speech. Information from tactile and proprioceptive systems, generated during movement experiences, is critical to motor planning and the  automaticity of movements.  "Motor plans" are internalized plans of action that prescribe movement patterns for specific motor actions.
• Sensory-motor Programming: This process accounts for the timing and positioning of movements of  the speech musculature, which are the foundation for coordinated  movements. Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a motor speech disorder affecting the ability to plan and program movement sequences for speech production.
• Movement Execution: At the level of execution, the muscles of the jaw, lips and tongue produce the previously planned and programmed movements for speech production. Dysarthria is a term for a group of related motor speech disorders resulting from  paralysis, weakness, abnormal tone or incoordination of the muscles  used in speech.  Some children may exhibit characteristics that are  typical of dysarthria, (hypotonia, fine or gross motor delays), yet have no neurologic diagnosis.

Motor actions (for speech) are closely linked to sensory information received through movement experiences. 

Don't worry!  Hippos are NOT part of the "hippotherapy" team!  "Hippo" is the Greek word for horse.  The term Hippotherapy loosely translates as "treatment with the help of a horse".