autism
understanding
how horses help us understand autism
Both horses and individuals with autism are extremely sensitive – Their sensory awareness is heightened. Any sights, sounds, smell, tastes, and tactile sensations can be overwhelming, confusing, and even painful.
- In response you can: Be aware of sensory stimulus in the environment. Pay attention to how the sights, sounds, smells, and tactile sensations are impacting the autistic person in each moment, and how these experiences are influencing their behavior.
Both seek clarity – They are literal thinkers, and have difficulty understanding ambiguous communication.
- In response you can: Be clear. Be aware when you are making assumptions about what they understand. Make it YOUR responsibility to develop creative ways of making yourself understood.
Both are emotionally intuitive – They feel what others are feeling, however, they experience feelings in the present moment, without clinging to the past or anticipating the future. They have difficulty understanding the complex meaning that we neuro-typicals make out of our emotions.
- In response you can: Do your best to be “in the moment” which minimizes the confusion created when an autistic person senses emotions in others that are not in response to the present moment. Ask yourself how the person’s behavior could be a response to YOUR emotional state.
Both are sensitive to authenticity or “congruence” – We are congruent when our inner experience matches our outward expression. Both horses and those with autism are extremely congruent, and are sensitive to “incongruence” in others.
- In response you can: Make yourself known. Engage in an investigation of your own hidden emotions, intentions, and agendas, and try to make your internal experience as transparent as possible.
Both rely less on spoken language – They tend toward non-verbal and behavioral forms of expression.
- In response you can: Become a “behavior detective.” ALL BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION and when you can’t rely on language, you must find other ways to communicate. There is always a reason for every behavior, and you can make it your mission to be curious and find out what that is.
Both learn more easily by seeing and doing – They are visual and kinesthetic learners.
- In response you can: Talk less, observe more, and connect through experience. Use activities, play, exploration of the environment, and other unconventional methods of connection. Follow their lead.
