During the pandemic, when The Shea Center was closed for lessons, Oliver B. and his physical therapist, Matt Heubert, spent their time together in virtual telehealth lessons.  Ollie has a rare genetic disorder and continuing with telehealth therapy was important to his progress.

One of Ollie’s favorite therapies is physical therapy utilizing hippotherapy.  He likes to trot and feed carrots to his horse, so he was glad to get back to onsite lessons.  Riding stretches and relaxes his muscles and improves his walking ability and standing balance.  He is taking more steps every day; however, the transitions from sitting to standing are still difficult.  Ollie is learning to talk, but mostly uses verbal approximations and sign language to communicate.  At three years old, he attends virtual preschool and likes to spend time outside exploring and playing with friends his age.  Ollie’s mother, Kristen, says he is well-adjusted both socially and emotionally and riding at Shea has helped build his self-confidence too.