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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