Ecuador Learns About Therapy Dogs

While most of you were sleeping from the triptophan from your turkey dinner this Thanksgiving holiday, I was on my way to the southern hemisphere with my colleagues from Fundacion Bocalan (based out of Madrid, Spain) to introduce the concept of service dogs and therapy dogs to Ecuador. I think, subconsciously, I was smelling turkey every where I went.

This was an exciting trip for me, as we are doing ground-breaking work in Latin America, and to be asked to be a part of something so large was an honor. Much of South America have very few laws protecting animals, let alone opportunities to provide such a wonderful resource for persons who have mobility challenges. Lead by Bocalan president, Teo Mariscal, we presented information on the importance of the human animal bond, the benefits of service dogs to people with disabilities, and the wonderful and exciting work of therapy animals. Our mission was to provide learning opportunities to interested healthcare professsionals, university students (which included veterinary students), and dog trainers so that programs may be started in Ecuador. A group based out of Quito, Ecuador, called Can y Cultura, is the group leading this expedition, and they are very excited about the possibilities.

Some observations that I made as an OT really impressed upon me the importance of Bocalan's work. In South America, it is very evident that the environmental barriers for people with disabilities are immense. Looking at the streets of Guayaquil, where the conference was held, I noticed very few people in wheelchairs. I also noticed that few streets had accessibility for wheelchairs. Then, as far as moving safely around the community, the traffic in Guayaquil was scary! Pedestrians do not have the right of way...not at all!! Imagining a service dog trying to assist their human partner across the street sent me into an anxiety fit.

But this is offset by other quaint towns, such as Cuenca, where you see curb cuts in the street and pedestrians are respected. In this town, I could see service dogs working.

I think it will be a long road for such programs and laws protecting these dogs, as well as changing the mindset...but I think it can be done. And, with Bocalan and Can y Cultura working together....I know it will be done.

I want to thank Fundacion Bocalan, yet again, for inviting me to help in this work. I look forward to more opportunities.

Tammy

Leya and Chief Play Ball

Leya enjoys watching Chief chase toys, so we've used this while at the same time, targeting other goals for therapy. In physical therapy, Leya is working on strengthening activities and postural control. In this video, she is using her gait trainer to increase weight bearing to her lower extremities while she uses her communication device to indicate her needs. For occupational therapy, I am wanting her to actively move her upper extremities to use her device or indicate with her hands her choices. She uses some simple signs, such as "more" and "all done" to indicate her needs. Both of these signs require the use of both hands, so we are also addressing bilateral coordination.

What is not shown in this video (because the photographer--me--forgot the camera during one of her BEST therapy sessions) was Leya doing some AMAZING things while watching Chief. Below is a synopsis of that remarkable session.

Leya has been having months of therapy sessions where she is more focused on her mother than playing, so getting her to actively participate in her session has been HARD! But this session with Chief was the exception. She tolerated being placed on her stomach over a bolster for 10 minutes (before she wouldn't tolerate a minute of this). She also wanted to see Chief jump over his obstacle course jump. When I asked her if she wanted to see him jump low or high (and I gestured for low and high), she raised BOTH arms way above her head to indicate high--a FIRST during our sessions. Then, when she was ready, she used her communication device accurately to tell us "do a trick please". Lastly, she didn't shed one tear the entire session. She was laughing and carrying on in such an amazing way. Meanwhile, Chief's poor tongue was hanging out because he was tired from jumping so high...so many times!!

That, folks, is the impact of AAT on these children's lives.

Tammy

Pals

In The News....

Photo by Steve Traynor, Killeen Daily Herald

Children gain confidence, skills with animals' help

(Killeen Daily Heral)

Posted on: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
By Candace Birkelbach

Killeen Daily Herald

Three-year-old Leya Sudler spends time with a golden retriever service dog every week to develop her vocal skills. Thursday morning, Leya pronounced the dog's name, Chief, for the first time. This may not seem like a big accomplishment for a 3-year-old, but saying this word meant doubling Leya's vocabulary. Leya has cerebral palsy and has only said two or three words in her lifetime. During her therapy sessions, Leya uses a device that gives commands to the dog and enables her to learn the power of speech, said Kelly Barr, owner and director of Kidz Therapeze in Killeen.

Kidz Therapeze is a pediatric-therapy facility that provides children with the play-based environment they need to learn, Barr said. The facility caters to a large number of neurological disabilities ranging from cerebral palsy to autism. Walking into Kidz Therapeze, children are greeted by vividly colored walls adorned with huge murals and butterflies hanging from the ceiling. The 32 therapists at the facility are licensed in occupational, speech and physical therapy. All are contracted by Barr and choose their own caseloads.

"It's like they have their own individual practice," Barr said. She said that when therapists have more freedom, they will come up with creative and innovative ideas.

One example is the recent addition of the therapy animal program. Five animal/owner teams recently were certified for use in complex environments such as the Kidz Therapeze clinic. Dogs are being paired with patients according to their team skills, strengths and endurance.

"It's a gem to have them here," said Tammy Renaud, the occupational therapist in charge of the pet program. Renaud said she has worked with other animals besides dogs, including miniature horses, lamas, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Renaud said it was incredible to hear Leya pronounce Chief's name. Barr said Leya is heavily motivated by Chief, who has a great impact on her speech therapy. Leya's mom, Rhiannon Garcia, said Leya starts making barking noises when they pull into the Kidz Therapeze parking lot.

Garcia said the clinic is well-equipped with plenty of activities for the children. "They have everything you can think of here," Garcia said. "You have fun here and play while doing therapy." On their first visit to the therapy center, children sit down with the therapists, who recommend a treatment plan, Barr said. The children must come to the facility after being diagnosed by a doctor. When Leya first came to the facility, she was very shy and would not talk to the therapists, Garcia said. Now, she plays with everyone and all her skills have improved, she explained.

Zeus – a docile 170-pound mastiff – is another dog the clinic uses for therapeutic activities. Since Zeus is so massive, yet calm, he is used to relax the children with his heavy, rhythmic breathing. Barr said therapists sometimes lay children with spinal problems on the dog to help use different muscle groups. Brylynn Quin, a 1-year-old girl with spina bifida, had her first therapy session with Zeus on Thursday. Brylynn at first seemed more interested in putting shoes on her hands than playing with the dog. Eventually, she climbed up onto Zeus's back with pink shoes still on her hands. Brylynn was able to climb on and off Zeus mostly through the use of her own muscles. Misti Quin, Brylynn's mother, said she could not roll around like most children her age before coming to the clinic. "Now she can crawl, stand, roll and is a lot stronger," Quin said.

Barr stressed the importance of the therapy being about something the kids can relate to. "You have to look at their current life role," Barr said. She explained that the therapy must address what is going on in the child's life at that moment. "There are different goals with each activity," Barr said. Some children work on a Kids Newsletter that helps them work on specific skills they are having trouble with. "It's a lot like schoolwork, but goes beyond what a teacher would do," she said. Each year the clinic also makes Christmas cards, and the profits are sent to the child's choice of charity. The children delegate the entire process of making the cards, Barr said. They research charities, design the cards and sell them to parents. Barr said there is also a sense of community felt by patients and their parents. Many times, the patients have the same appointments each week so they get to know the other people in the waiting room, Barr said. Barr said her ultimate goal is to have no waiting list for children who seek therapy from the clinic.

Contact Candace Birkelbach at candaceb@kdhnews.com or call (254) 501-7553

Leya and Chief Play Ball

As Chief and I entered the room today to the cheers of "It's Chief!!", we heard one little voice afterward that we had heard in limited use before....usually just saying "Momma". This little voice cheered out "Chieeeee". That's right...Leya said Chief's name for the first time today, on her own, without any prompting from the therapists...and her mom was present to witness it!! We were all so taken back by what happened that we stopped for just a minute, before one of us said..."did she just say Chief?" The slow little smile on her face confirmed it!! Leya was telling us she was happy to see her new friend!!

In this video, Leya is instructing me to throw the ball for Chief using her switch devices and also instructing Chief to "go get the ball". We had tried to get Leya to throw the ball, but she was reluctant to do it. But, she did get a big kick out of watching Chief run across the floor. So, in this video, she is working on weight bearing through her legs in her standing frame while she uses a switch to functionally communicate with us, and using her hands to make her choices.

Way to go Leya!!

Tammy

Lukas's First Therapy Session

Jumpstart Therapies would like to congratulate Lukas and Karin on their first therapy visit today!! Lukas was GREAT and seemed to enjoy working with Jonathan. Jonathan LOVES dogs, and he and Lukas became instant friends. Lukas even learned a new trick for Jonathan today...going across an obstacle course of benches and other large plastic puzzle pieces that Jonathan arranged for him. Jonathan is working on motor planning, and one aspect of motor planning is to be able to teach/tell someone else how to perform a task. Jonathan first told Lukas, then demonstrated it, and watched as Lukas completed the course. Both did very well!! Good job, boys!!!



In this video, Jonathan is helping groom Lukas, because as you can see, Lukas has a lot of hair to keep up with. He is also working with speech and language pathologist, Stephanie Kozeny while working.



We look forward to seeing this Pet Partner team in the near future. Good first day!!!

Tammy

Motor Planning

Many of the kids we see in therapy have difficulty with motor planning, or the ability to plan and execute movement activities. Sometimes they aren't able to figure out how to move their bodies to perform a certain task, while other times they have difficulty explaining to someone else how to perform a task. This young boy, Jonathan, has difficulty with both aspects of motor planning.

In this video, Chief and his willingness to participate in obstacle courses, is a way to motivate Jonathan to work on this specific skill. First, Jonathan set up an obstacle course. Then, he had to tell Chief and me how to move through the course. As you will see, he does this as he moves through the course himself. Lastly, he has to make sure that Chief goes through the course correctly. This is a very simple course, but for Jonathan, this is a big step in the right direction.

Tammy