Cole’s Horse Autism Therapy Station
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What is C.H.A.T.S?
What is C.H.A.T.S?
C.H.A.T.S is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, equine assisted therapy center located in Yorktown, Virginia. We offer horse therapy for families with children on the autism spectrum & other special needs. C.H.A.T.S utilizes concepts used in the Horse Boy Method & Movement Method. We are the only site on the east coast that offers these services. We strive to provide a safe space for families to come & receive services that are specially catered to their child’s interests, needs & academic levels!
What is The Horse Boy & Movement Method?
Created by Rupert Isaacson after his son, Rowan, was diagnosed with autism at 3-years old, Horse Boy Method and Movement Method have been developed over more than a decade to specifically target neuro‐psychiatric conditions such as autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, eating disorders, learning disabilities and other conditions that affect the nervous system and the brain by creating a no pressure environment through nature, movement & following a child’s interests so that they can learn, play and interact with others. Rupert chronicled his journey for understanding and healing for his son by writing the best selling book, “The Horse Boy.” Rupert also filmed their journey through Mongolia and created a documentary by the same name.
When Rupert Isaacson’s son, Rowan, was 3 years old, the difficult decision was made to pull him out of school in response to the increasingly regressive behavior that he exhibited while there. Those behaviors were likely a response to unmotivated teachers and the sensory ramifications of spending all day in a windowless room with fluorescent strip lights. Unsure of how to proceed, Rupert thought about how he would have designed his own education as a child and came up with an education strategy based around 1:1 mentorship and learning through exploration. Rowan is now 18 and over the years his father and teacher, Jenny, have developed a style of teaching based around movement, intrinsic motivation, and nature. These techniques allowed Rowan to advance from mastering the basics of reading and writing, to simple addition and subtraction to much more complex topics such as geometry, algebra, physics, and chemistry. These same techniques have also been used with hundreds of other children on the autism spectrum that have learned Movement Method over the years. The results have been astonishing. Rowan is a talented artist and hopes to attend art school after graduation. He also has traveled overseas to help Rupert with Movement Method presentations and teachings
Movement Method
Movement Method is based on the simple premise that if you want a child with autism to learn then you need to create an environment that is conducive to learning
The ideal learning environment targets the child’s sensory needs and allows the child to move (PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT). In addition, the child should be taught in a flexible, fun and pressure free way through their passions and intrinsic interests (HUMAN ENVIRONMENT).
If both the physical and human environment is set up correctly then we generally find that the child advances very quickly in terms of their perspective taking, social and life skills, academics, and self-advocacy (LEARNING).
Increasingly over the years, Rupert and the Horse Boy/ New Trails team have been asked by parents what they can do in their own home to support the work that they do with their kids at their centers. These questions ultimately led them to develop Movement Method, a set of easy to replicate guidelines, not involving horses, that anyone can do in their backyard, park or even living room. The program is aimed at teaching perspective taking, social skills, life skills and academics with an emphasis on autism but that can work for any kid, special needs or not.
Movement Method is designed to show both parents and teacher how to help children with autism learn more effectively by creating an environment in which they can thrive and teaching them through their passions and motivations.
Since 2013 they have also started working with schools in the UK and USA to develop more autism friendly teaching environments and to train their teachers to work more effectively with autistic children and other special needs. Several universities are now conducting ongoing studies into the efficacy of Movement Method including the University of Belmont in the United States and the University of Osnabruck in Germany. Movement method has also, on an individual basis, been billed to insurance companies in the USA as a therapy for children on the spectrum.