Kristina, the mother of identical twins Chloe and Olivia, felt her five-year-old daughters seemed to hit a wall in their traditional clinical therapies for developmental delay. She started looking for a therapy that would be fun and keep the girls engaged. She found...
Arthur M. is a happy nine-year-old who sits up straight riding his favorite horse, Shaw, with a big smile on his face. It hasn't always been this way. Arthur came to The Shea Center at age four with a diagnosis of autism. His mother, Claudia, explains that at the...
We are celebrating our clients who have been part of The Shea Center family for 20 years or more! The longevity award goes to our first and founding client, Michael Lewis (seen in photo at top of blog), with an amazing 40-plus year career at Shea. More than 40 years!...
Lorelei W. is a smiley seven-year-old who loves to scoot around in her new gait trainer, which she recently received. Diagnosed with seizure disorder and global developmental delay, Lorelei has diminished core strength and balance challenges and receives occupational,...
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, our friends from the VA Long Beach Healthcare System, returned to The Shea Center in February. VA Long Beach veterans began monthly visits to The Shea Center in March of 2013. Our visiting veterans groom and feed the horses,...
Often people are surprised to learn that therapies using horses benefit children with autism. Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication, and unusual or repetitive...
Maggie G. (age 8) is a happy, confident second-grader who loves to ride horses. A Shea Center rider since 2016, Maggie looks forward to her physical therapy (hippotherapy) on Fridays at the Center. As much as Maggie loves to ride, she likes visiting the barn and all...
Twins, Charlie and Nicky P. (age 7) participate in occupational therapy utilizing hippotherapy at The Shea Center. The boys were diagnosed with autism just before their third birthday.The family recently moved to Orange County from Redding, CA. They miss the rural...
For the past seven years, we are fortunate to be part of the healing journey for many U.S. military personnel through our Stars and Stripes program. Participation in military programs is up 42 percent over last year and the demand continues to accelerate. Stars and...
Joan Robinson became a physical therapy utilizing hippotherapy client at The Shea Center in 2011 after living for years with physical impairments caused by a stroke. The unique three-dimensional movement of the horse challenges her balance and postural stability. This...