1. The Autism Spectrum Alternative Program
The Autism Spectrum Alternative Program, ASAP, is an equine
facilitated sensory integration program for individuals on the autism
spectrum or with other physical, mental, emotional or behavior
challenges. A.S.A.P. includes a life-coaching program for families and
individuals using art, mindfulness, meditation and equine facilitated
coaching as our primary tools for tutoring, communication and
personal development. (2002 - current)
Our mission is to demonstrate the effectiveness of our programs
to help families and communities respond to and meet the social and
emotional needs of individuals in a positive and sensitive manner.
Our primary goal is to provide individuals with tools and
techniques to encourage and develop open communications, self-
confidence, and self-reliance. ASAP is accomplishing these goals by
building a model facility demonstrating the profound significance of
equine facilitated therapy and complimentary treatment modalities
while providing documented measurable results.
Our gymnastics arena, the Color Corral, is set up with ground
poles, barrels and other obstacles for riders to navigate and trot
around adding to the development of their skills. Our desert trails are
full of visual stimulation from stuffed animals highlighting our
Alphabet Alley to the desert cactus and wildlife. Communication and
cognitive skills are developed easily in this environment. Emotionally,
the unconditional love and support between the individual and the
horse allows them the freedom to explore their emotions and trust
their intuition. Our well-trained horses and staff can accommodate
inexperienced children as well as people who ride with confidence.
2. Our Circle Swing
Our Circle Swing is an indispensable tool stimulating balance
and relaxation. Our innovative, patented design is based on horse hot
walker modified to accommodate four therapeutic swings. Operating
with three speeds, forward and reverse; our Circle Swing is especially
powerful for children with peripheral vision when objects on either
side of them are clearer and the subject of their focus and attention.
Swinging in a circular motion gives the individual a continuous
panoramic view of their surroundings enabling them to see their entire
environment with more clarity and detail, awareness and confidence.
Some children with vision challenges engage in sensory play, or
stemming, such as spinning, twirling objects, running back and forth,
flapping their hands or arms, rocking and twirling as well as tilting
their heads frequently or jumping up and down. Moving helps them
see the whole picture, especially while swinging in the Circle Swing
because they can see the whole picture, unobstructed and continuous
therefore increasing their visual awareness, confidence and comfort
levels.
While riding horses students have to be centered and focused
with their equine partner or they will fall off. Instinctively they want to
stay balanced and not fall. This concentration while riding balances
their bodies and strengthens their undeveloped central vision. A
person with peripheral vision can appear to be looking at an object in
front of them but they see more detail on objects around the edges of
the field of vision. Sometimes they seem to stare off into space at
nothing in particular while looking at what is happening to the left or
the right. Centered vision is developed while riding as instructions are
given from the sides of the horse but the individual’s focus and
attention is brought to the top of the horse’s head. The posture
encouraged through riding is head up, shoulders back and vision
centered with their focus forward further developing balance and
vision improvement.
3. Our Rainbow Labyrinth
A labyrinth is often confused with a maze. Children’s activity
books are filled with maze games, which present a challenge, finding
the right path to reach the destination in spite of dead ends, wrong
choices or turns. A labyrinth is an ancient and powerful tool, which is
unicursal, offering only one route to the center and back out again, no
choices, no decisions left or right, and no dead ends. No matter where
you are in the labyrinth you can always see the center. From any
vantage point in the labyrinth a person can see the entire path in and
out. This provides the individual with a sense of safety, security and
confidence. Once you set foot on the path, the labyrinth gently leads
you to the center of both the labyrinth and yourself. It is one of the
oldest contemplative and transformational tools known to man
symbolizing unity and wholeness while increasing the peaceful
vibration within and around us. It has been used cross culturally for
centuries for prayer, ritual, and initiation as well as personal and
spiritual growth. The energy field of the labyrinth can provide a
window into the world of intuition. People who walk the labyrinth may
experience inner peace, contentment, rejuvenation and often physical,
emotional or spiritual healing. It helps balance the activity of the left
and the right brain to give clarity in thinking and problem solving. A
labyrinth may be thought of as right brain or intuitive and the maze is
left-brain or cognitive.
Labyrinths are one of the ancient mysteries that can help us
connect to our own life journey. The use of labyrinths has been traced
back over 3,50 years. It is both a physical path and a spiritual path
helping us connect by harmonizing and balancing our body, mind and
spirit. Walking the labyrinth fulfills several important contemporary
needs, simplicity, introspection and connection to the soul, access to
intuition and creativity, integration of the body and spirit, deepening
spirituality and connection to self and community.
4. Our Peaceful Pyramid
Sitting under our Peaceful Pyramid assists in balancing our
energy or charkas, relieving minor aches, enhancing sleep, eliminating
headaches, allowing deeper states of meditation, relaxing the body and
mind as well as increasing memory recall. Hypertensive people become
more tranquil and lethargic people become energetic again. It is
documented that table top pyramids can sharpen razor blades,
energize gemstones, enhance plant growth, purify water, detoxify
foods, keep foods fresher, and mosquitoes will not enter a pyramid so
it keeps food bug free while it energizes our food. Our Peaceful
Pyramid is relaxing and very popular among all individuals.
A pyramid can be described as an electromagnetic energy
collector, or antenna, that collects the frequencies of energies and
places them in layers, one upon the other, similar to the way in which
a prism breaks up white light into seven colors of the full spectrum.
The pyramids’ energy is also composed of seven sub levels. These
seven sub components of magnetism correspond to the seven major
energy centers in the human body called chakras. A pyramid can help
an individual learn to use and understand the electromagnetic field of
their own aura. A pyramid acts as an antenna and magnifies the
receivers’ ability to use our energy known as our aura, the life force
energy of the human body.
5. Theory
Our coaching theory is based on the premise that our body is
composed in part with an energy system called our meridian system. It
looks similar to our circulation and nervous system when drawn on a
chart. Along the central core of our body spin seven main wheel-like
energy centers called chakras. Chakras have the ability to receive,
assimilate and transmit energy. Each chakra is a vortex, spinning
life-force energy into or out of our body and they are located
throughout our body. Each chakra transmits and receives life force
energy, often called chi, which is the basic foundation for all existence.
This Eastern philosophy is thousands of years old. Although the
ideas are relatively new to our Western culture, eastern philosophies
have shown that when the body’s vortices of energy (chakras) are in
perfect balance, the result is a stronger vital energy resulting in
excelled physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. When our
energies are blocked, weak, out-of-balance, dulled or altered, we may
find the potential conditions for “dis-comfort or dis-ease.”
Individuals with alternative learning abilities, including but not
limited to the autism spectrum, are not always in balance and some
energy pathways are blocked. When in a state of disease, the chakras
may be distorted, out of alignment or even stagnant. When this
happens, life force energy cannot flow in and out freely and the
physical body and expression may suffer. Stress, the inability to
express emotions, lack of communication skills, unhealthy diet, lack
of exercise, exposure to toxicity etc, can cause the chakra or energy
system to become unbalanced. The physical body is made up of many
different integral parts that are designed to be self-correcting and to
maintain balance with the free flow of energy.
6. Forms of sound, color and light have the capacity to balance and
tone our energy system making it more efficient. Pain, mental and
physical, can be eased, stress and hypertension can be reduced, and
depression and mood swings can be balanced and lifted. Personalities
may liven up and become more vibrant. The mind can become clearer,
resulting in increased creativity and ability to make decisions. The
emotions can also become far more stable and the spirit peaceful.
Greater joy and better health are possible in the process.
Understanding this need for balance and harmony has brought us to
the solutions, which focus on the whole person through sensory
integration and balance. In this state of harmony and balance
individuals can receive a sense of calmness and inner peace that
allows the body to begin its healing process. Energetic blockages can
open, negative or imbalanced energies can be released and destructive
bodily injuries can be subdued or even eliminated.
Being in balance with our diet, exercise, mental and physical
health and our leisure time makes our minds sharper and our
intuition keener. Yoga, color & sound therapy, labyrinths, pyramids,
and horseback riding have all been around for centuries and people all
over the world have benefited from their calming, relaxing and
balancing affects. These concepts are not new but the application of
these techniques in a manner for individuals to stay in contact with
their intuitive world and function in a cognitive world is a different
approach.
There are no other programs like this . . . anywhere.
7. Forms of sound, color and light have the capacity to balance and
tone our energy system making it more efficient. Pain, mental and
physical, can be eased, stress and hypertension can be reduced, and
depression and mood swings can be balanced and lifted. Personalities
may liven up and become more vibrant. The mind can become clearer,
resulting in increased creativity and ability to make decisions. The
emotions can also become far more stable and the spirit peaceful.
Greater joy and better health are possible in the process.
Understanding this need for balance and harmony has brought us to
the solutions, which focus on the whole person through sensory
integration and balance. In this state of harmony and balance
individuals can receive a sense of calmness and inner peace that
allows the body to begin its healing process. Energetic blockages can
open, negative or imbalanced energies can be released and destructive
bodily injuries can be subdued or even eliminated.
Being in balance with our diet, exercise, mental and physical
health and our leisure time makes our minds sharper and our
intuition keener. Yoga, color & sound therapy, labyrinths, pyramids,
and horseback riding have all been around for centuries and people all
over the world have benefited from their calming, relaxing and
balancing affects. These concepts are not new but the application of
these techniques in a manner for individuals to stay in contact with
their intuitive world and function in a cognitive world is a different
approach.
There are no other programs like this . . . anywhere.
