Five-year-old Declan is a happy little boy who is about to start kindergarten. Diagnosed with autism and low muscle tone, Declan has been a client in speech therapy utilizing hippotherapy for two years at The Shea Center. He currently rides Artex, which helps build his postural control needed for speech and improves his balance.

Because of his speech and balance issues, Declan didn’t want to jump or climb and was hesitant to play in the park with other children. As his posture and language skills improve, he is gaining confidence and reaching out more to play with his older brother and cousin. Therapy utilizing the horse’s movement improves Declan’s overall developmental abilities, which helps him with other play skills like soccer and swimming.

Declan’s mother, Kathy, says another thing he looks forward to at Shea is the one-on-one time he spends with his therapist Terri Hutchinson in the speech therapy clinic. He can now say three-word phrases and is learning to process two thoughts simultaneously. He no longer needs to stop to think about what he is trying to say; therefore, his general communication is better. Terri remarks, “Declan’s progress has positively impacted his ability to engage daily with his family!”

Kathy says, “The family loves it here at Shea. We’ve made friends, love the horses, and my older son, Silas, had a wonderful time at Shea’s summer horse camp.”