C.H.A.T.S in the News
Publications about our journey!
YORK-Cole’s Horse Autism Therapy Station (CHATS) is a non-profit organization that was established by Dr. Megan McGavern in fall 2020. Located on 21 acres of farmland in York County, CHATS specializes in equine-assisted therapy for families with children on the autism spectrum in addition to other special needs. CHATS applies principles used in the Horse Boy Method and Movement Method and is currently the only site on the East Coast that specializes in these services.
McGavern, a practicing physician based out of Newport News who specializes in internal medicine, said she stumbled upon the Horse Boy Method and Movement Method after her son Cole was diagnosed with autism at the age of four.
“At that point, I had him in speech therapy, occupational therapy, and special education for about two years,” said McGavern. “At the time of diagnosis, we also added ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis), but nothing was making a difference.”
Propelled by a mother’s love, McGavern said she hightailed it to Barnes & Noble upon her son’s diagnosis to familiarize herself with autism.
“Even though I’m a doctor and probably read about autism in a book during my first or second year of med school, I had never experienced it firsthand in medical school or during my residency because I work in adult medicine and am not dealing with pediatrics and newly diagnosed developmental issues,” she said.
After purchasing nearly a dozen books, McGavern eventually read The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson. Like McGavern, Isaacson’s son was diagnosed with autism at a young age. He developed The Horse Boy Method and Movement Method as a way of working with horses to address neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism, ADHD, and anxiety.
“I contacted Rupert about twenty-five pages into the book,” said McGavern. “A couple of months later, my husband and I ended up taking Cole to his ranch in Austin, Texas. It was life changing.”
After visiting the ranch, the McGaverns purchased their first horse and began homeschooling their son.
“Much of his homeschooling was initially done on a horse out in the woods,” said McGavern. “He started riding every day and eventually his speech increased from saying almost nothing to saying hundreds of words in an hour.”
After witnessing her son’s undeniable improvements, McGavern created a homeschooling Movement Method program and a Horse Boy Method program locally to assist other families.
Currently, CHATS has three therapy horses on site in addition to a mini horse that serves as a companion. The nonprofit employs six employees and frequently enlists the assistance of multiple volunteers.
“The Horse Boy Method and Movement Method are being utilized by more than 300,000 families’ homes across the globe,” said McGavern. “I’m so happy that I was able to offer it here to our families in the area.”
McGavern has transformed her land into an outdoor therapy station equipped with numerous trails, a treehouse, rock-climbing wall, obstacle course, and other engaging outdoor spaces. In addition to offering individual and group therapy lessons, McGavern offers monthly Sensory Saturdays that are open to the community to come and interact with the horses and enjoy the eye-catching play spaces. Sensory Saturdays are usually held around holidays and offer families the opportunity to check out the farm while enjoying activities and crafts.
McGavern and Isaacson presented information about The Horse Boy Method and Movement Method in February at the 13th annual Autism Conference at Eastern Virgnia Medical School to an audience of more than 300 people.
“There were physicians, specialists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, the whole gamut of people who treat and evaluate autistic children,” said McGavern. “It was a landmark day.”
CHATS will hold its 2nd annual Hearts and Horses charity fundraising gala on Saturday, April 29.
“We’ll have live music, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, a presentation, tours of the facility, a silent auction, and a raffle,” said McGavern.
While there is no fee to attend the event, registration is required and may be completed by emailing explorewithchats@yahoo.com. For more information about CHATS, visit its website and Facebook page.
The Oyster Pointer
June 21, 2022
My son Cole was diagnosed with autism at age 4,” says Megan B. McGavern, DO, MS, FACP. “At first I was devastated, but then I went into ‘warrior mode.’ I was determined to heal my son.” She read the book The Horse Boy, by Rupert Isaacson. He had developed a method using equine intervention specifically designed for the nervous system and brain. He refined it over a decade and now it is used in 42 countries worldwide. The program develops cognitive, behavioral and even academic progress in a way that feels joyful and easy. The Horse Boy Method activates learning centers of the brain and gets results.
McGavern trained under Isaacson. She took her son out of public school. “My son’s improvement was drastic,” she says. “His vocabulary increased dramatically.”
There is a communication hormone, oxytocin, which horses are trained to produce. “It is sometimes called the ‘feel-good’ hormone,” says McGavern. Nature is very helpful. Creating the right environment is important. The child becomes calm, focused and is stimulated to talk. “We create a ‘yes’ environment for a child who has always heard ‘no.’”
In 2017, McGavern created a homeschooling Movement Method program. This technique does not involve horses. It operates on the simple premise that learning occurs in a flexible, fun, pressure-free environment which works best for the autistic.
In 2018, McGavern added The Horse Boy Method to her program. This is a six-stage approach to calm the nervous system and the brain. It addresses social and behavioral issues, enabling learning. Games are essential for actual brain development. A horse is a perfect partner for introducing games.
In 2019, McGavern bought a 21-acre property in York County off Lakeside Drive. She has three Horse Boy trained therapy horses. All horses are a “Spanish barb” breed.
MGavern’s son’s health and vocabulary significantly improved. “I decided to share my success with the community and other families who had similar struggles,” she says. She created her non-profit foundation, Cole’s Horse Autism Therapy Station (C.H.A.T.S.).
The web site describes a variety of programs with a modest cost. One- or two-hour Horse Boy Method “playdates” are available for individuals or groups. These include riding, sensory work, arts and crafts, educational games and activities catered to each child’s needs or interests.
There are 4-week summer camps, featuring outdoor activities such as horse-riding, games and crafts. “Last year Rupert Isaacson was here for a demonstration,” says McGavern. She has four employees but relies on volunteers, especially students, and is very grateful for them. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for anyone who loves horses,” she adds. McGavern’s programs are the only ones on the East Coast.
McGavern is originally from Pennsylvania. She graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2005. She completed her residency training in internal medicine at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth and has been affiliated with Riverside Medical Group for 10 years. Her specialty is internal medicine but she also has a M.S. degree in epidemiology and preventive medicine. She is married and has two other sons, who are twins. “I don’t have much free time,” she says with a smile, “but I enjoy the ocean and swimming.” She also rides her horses on the many trails of her property.
“It has been a long, difficult road —frustrating and isolating, but there have been days with amazing breakthroughs,” McGavern concludes.
Horses Help Children Make Great Strides
Sometimes a horse can make a change in a young boy when all else seems to have failed. Cole was diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. It was shocking news to Dr. Megan McGavern and her husband Dr. Huy Tran. "It was devastating to say the least," Megan says. "At times so difficult, frustrating, and isolating that I wasn't sure I could survive another minute." But then Megan shifted into what she calls "warrior mode" and began to look for ways she could help her son.
Megan read the book, "The Horse Boy" written by Rupert Isaacson, and it was life changing. The author tells of his journey with his son who was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how contact with horses helped him. The book focuses on treatments that create a no-pressure environment through nature, movement, and following a child's interest. After reading the book, Megan and her husband took Cole out of public school, where he was not doing well, and created a homeschooling Movement Method program and a Horse Boy Method program, both programs that had been developed by Rupert Isaacson.
Then in 2019, they bought 18 acres of land in Yorktown and transformed it into C.H.A.T.S., a haven for horses and children. C.H.A.T.S. — which stands for Cole's Horse Autism Therapy Station — now has three specially trained therapy horses and provides a variety of programs including group play dates, private horse boy method play dates, and Sensory Saturdays. "We do things that are highly sensory-seeking that we know really help stimulate and keep the autistic child interested and happy," Megan says.
Some Sensory Saturdays have a holiday theme like Halloween, Easter, and Christmas. Megan explains that many traditional holiday activities like standing in line to visit Santa at a shopping mall, Trick-or-Treating, and Easter egg hunts are difficult for children with an ASD to handle. "We make our events low key so the children can decide what and how much they want to do."
The changes in Cole were dramatic. "We went from him speaking 10 words a day to 300+ words an hour when he was on the horse," Megan says. "He can now ride a bike and a scooter. And he loves going to the beach when he used to not be able to tolerate the sand. We are so grateful to be able to share C.H.A.T.S. with those in our community who are going through similar struggles. "
Also mother to twin boys, Dr. McGavern is an internal medicine physician at Riverside Regional Medical Center. WAVY-TV recently chose her as the winner of their Remarkable Women of Hampton Roads contest, a well-deserved honor.
TowneBank is honored to support C.H.A.T.S. as they work to help children. Volunteers are always welcome to help with Sensory Saturdays as well as working in the barn, feeding and grooming horses, cleaning stalls. For more information, visit CHATS757.com.
C.H.A.T.S. hosts sensory events and provides horse therapy for children on the autism spectrum and their families
Towne Bank Newsletter
Summer 2022
Hampton Roads Physician Magazine
Summer of 2022
‘Remarkable Women’ finalist: Dr. Megan McGavern.
What would a mother not do for her child? Our Remarkable Women finalist this week is a full-time doctor treating plenty of people here in Hampton Roads. She’s also a mother of three, one having special needs. With an open mind, determined spirit and a few four-legged friends, Dr. Megan McGavern has found a special way to impact countless lives.
According to the latest information from the CDC, approximately 1 in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Last summer, you may have seen Dr. McGavern’s story on WAVY-TV 10 featuring the horse haven that’s been transforming her son’s life.
McGavern is a Navy Veteran whose oldest son was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old. She is a mom who had tried the traditional route to no avail. She could have stopped at just seeing her child succeed despite his differences, but this remarkable woman wanted to do much more. So on 21 acres of land in Yorktown, Virginia a labor of love is now giving children free rein to thrive.
“I was doing speech therapy, occupational therapy, ABA, brain balance,” said Dr. McGavern. “We bought the land in 2019. Built a barn, three paddocks, a covered arena, tons of trails and really awesome things out here for the kids to enjoy.”
At a time when all else failed, she threw out the typical playbook and decided to take an alternative approach to getting her son back in the saddle of life, with the help of the “Horse Boy Method”, a therapeutic and academic individualized approach to helping children with autism, using contact with horses to learn.
“He said almost nothing, almost nothing, and it went from 10 words in a day then to 100, 200 and now 300 words an hour on the course,” said Dr. McGavern. “It’s just night and day difference.”
Now she’s spreading the wealth, guiding other families through frustrating terrain. She wants everyone to know that an autism diagnosis does not have to dictate whether or not your child succeeds.
“I have felt God driving me to this the whole time even when financially it was like OMG,” said Dr. McGavern. “Even when it was like how am I going to do this plus still work full time? But I’m very much somebody who likes to help people and fix things and why would I keep this to myself, that’s crazy. I have three horses. I could help a bazillion children.”
t’s that remarkable spirit that moved Linda Roos to nominate Megan for recognition. As a special ed teacher of more than 30 years she sees this program for the special gift that it’s become.
“I always watch channel 10 all day long,” said Roos. “And I heard about that and I was off from work so I said I’m sitting down right now and writing this nomination. What Megan’s done is all about changing the environment to the child. It’s about what the child can do, what the child wants to do.”
Cole’s Horse Autism Therapy Station (CHATS) offers private play dates, group play dates to create community, sensory Saturdays all over the property and more.
Dr. McGavern’s hitting a stride in territory she never imagined exploring, changing lives and chomping at the bit to do even more.
“I’m always, even at this point, looking for what’s new,” she said.
She’s happy to share what she’s learned about options for parents of children with autism and provide any support she can. She has a 501c3 now and she’s looking for more sponsors to help more children. They have an upcoming gala on April 30 from 1 – 4 p.m. at 100 Old Pond Road. There will be live music and an auction.
When Dr. Megan McGavern’s son Cole was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at the age of four, she wanted to learn everything she could about it.
Cole was in speech therapy, occupational therapy, Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and special education in public school for several years. “Things were not getting better,” McGavern said. “We still do occupational and speech therapy, but there was no major improvement with ABA, and, oftentimes, it would upset him more than it helped anything.”
Cole was having a difficult time in school as well.
“He could not communicate what was happening, he was upset all the time, I was getting phone calls all the time,” McGavern said.
McGavern began reading up on how she could help her son. It was when she read the book, “The Horse Boy,” by Rupert Isaacson in 2017, that everything changed.
In the book, Isaacson chronicled his journey with his son Rowan, who was diagnosed with an ASD, and how contact with horses helped him.
Isaacson created the Horse Boy Method and Movement Method as a therapeutic and academic approach to target neuro‐psychiatric conditions, such as an ASD, through nature, movement and following a child’s interests.
After getting in contact with Isaacson and visiting his place in Austin, Texas with Cole, McGavern’s life changed.
McGavern took Cole out of public school and created a homeschooling Movement Method program in 2017 and a Horse Boy Method program in 2018.
As a full-time physician and also a mother of twins, this was not easy for McGavern.
“It was just so much,” she said. “I didn’t know how I was going to do any of this, but you just sort of go with your gut and your mother instinct.”
After seeing the dramatic changes in Cole, McGavern and her husband bought 18 acres of land in Yorktown in 2019.
In 2020, they transitioned to the land, which they have since completely transformed into a horse therapy station, complete with an obstacle course, tree house, swings, 30-40 trails and three horses.
Now almost 11 years old, Cole spends much of his time learning at C.H.A.T.S.
McGavern has since seen night and day changes with her son.
“He went from maybe saying 10 words in a day, to 300 to 400 words in an hour on the horse,” she said. “He couldn’t ride a bike. He couldn’t ride a scooter. After doing all this stuff with the horse, he’s been riding a bike and a scooter for over a year.”
Before Horse Boy Method, Cole was being driven to a feeding clinic in Richmond. Now, he is above the 90th percentile in weight, McGavern said.
“There’s certain movements on the horse that will produce oxytocin, which is your feel-good hormone,” McGavern explained. “When that’s released by the different movements on the horse, it creates a stress-reliever. It opens the brain to be able to let information in and be able to communicate.”
Now McGavern makes the method available to other families in the area.
C.H.A.T.S. offers sensory events and activities to families with children with an ASD, including group play dates, private play dates and holiday-themed Sensory Saturdays.
The Sensory Saturdays are holiday-themed to make it easier for families with children with an ASD who may find some holiday traditions difficult to handle, such as standing in line for Santa, Easter egg hunts or Trick-or-Treating,
“The environments that are set up for these holidays are not really conducive to a child with Autism,” she said. “So I make it so these kids can experience holidays. I find that so important.”
McGavern said that the changes she has seen with the other children are exactly what she has seen with Cole. It’s all due to what she calls a “yes” environment.
“You’re setting them up for success,” she said. “I had to change everything. I have him outside for a good six hours every day.”
McGavern said that the horses have helped with coordination, communication, as well as a decrease in tantrums and meltdowns.
McGavern continues to connect with the community through the organization, which received its 501c3 status in September 2021.
On April 30, C.H.A.T.S. will host its first charity gala on the property, 100 Old Pond Rd. The event will feature live music, food and an auction, with all donations going toward C.H.A.T.S. programs, horse care and land maintenance.
McGavern’s favorite part of the journey?
“Seeing my son being able to learn, seeing my son being happy, and being able to have hope that one day he’ll be independent,” she said.
Mother starts horse autism therapy station to help her son and others achieve independence
YORK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — Dr. Megan McGavern has her hands full.
Over the past three years, she’s transformed an 18-acre land into a horse haven with a team that helps her take care of the three majestic animals, complete with a stable.
“It’s amazing honestly, it’s insanity on my end, but it’s a beautiful thing,” McGavern said.
McGavern dove headfirst into the horse world, but you’d be surprised to know it wasn’t because she discovered a love of riding.
This all started to help her 10-year-old son Cole, who was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old.
To learn all she could on how to help him, McGavern started reading, but nothing stuck quite as much as the book “The Horse Boy” by Rupert Isaacson.
Isaacson wrote about his family’s journey to find healing for their autistic son after discovering his condition was improving by contact with horses.
“Basically he created a therapeutic approach as well as an academic approach to helping autistic children,” McGavern said.
Following the methods, Cole, who’s homeschooled, now spends most of his time learning out here at C.H.A.T.S.
That’s short for, Cole’s Horse Autism Therapy Station.
He’s got his own classroom in the stable and plenty of activities such as swinging and zipline to keep him engaged.
Not to mention sensory learning, like an exercise where he picks letters from the tree branches to practice spelling while on horseback.
“My son went from saying 10 words in a day to 300 to 400 words a day while on the horse, “ McGavern explained.
McGavern says last week their third “horse boy trained” horse was delivered.
This means now they can host play dates with other kids in the community in addition to their sensory events on the weekend.
McGavern says her end goal is to help Cole and others like him find independence.
“The one big thing I can say from this is truly have hope,” she smiled.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Dr. Megan McGavern is an internal medicine physician at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News. But more importantly, she says, she's Cole's mom. The 10-year-old was diagnosed with autism at age 4.
"I kept thinking that I was going to be able to fix the problem, like oh, through this therapy or that therapy," said Dr. McGavern. "Or I was constantly trying things, and I was devastated."
Dr. McGavern said she finally found a book on different methods that not only changed her outlook, but the plan to help her son. "I found 'The Horse Boy' book. And it was the last one I read, to be honest," said Dr. McGavern. The book details the Horse Boy Method and Movement Method-- possible treatments for neuropsychiatric conditions like autism. The methods focus on creating a no-pressure environment through nature, movement, and following a child's interest.
"We got a horse, probably about six months later... And things just really started to change. [Cole] started saying so much more on the horse," said Dr. McGavern. "He said almost nothing for years... He says 3, 400, sometimes even more words in an hour on the horse."
Last fall, after seeing Cole’s progress, Dr. McGavern launched C.H.A.T.S.-- a nonprofit horse and sensory therapy center in Yorktown.
"C.H.A.T.S. stands for 'Cole's Horse Autism Therapy Station'", said Dr. McGavern. "We do things that are highly sensory seeking that we know really helps stimulate and keeps the autistic child interested and happy."
It's all part of a big mission for more kids like Cole to enjoy the little things.
"He used to not be able to tolerate sand," said Dr. McGavern. "So, we took him and... He was running on the beach, he was playing in the sand, he was sitting in it, he was drawing in it... I don't know how big or small that sounds to you or someone else, but for us that was, like, life changing."
C.H.A.T.S. is holding events this weekend featuring Rupert Isaacson--the creator of the Horse Boy and Movement methods--and his son Rowan, who has autism. Friday, June 4, there's a documentary screening at Tabb High School in Yorktown from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, June 5, a Horse Boy Method demo is happening from 1-4 p.m. at C.H.A.T.S., 100 Old Pond Road in Yorktown. You’re invited to both events to learn more about autism and the possible treatment methods.
NTLS.CO
January 30, 2021
By Bianca Rimbach
Hope Giving Light at a Seemingly Endless Tunnel:
Creativity often drained, resilience at the end of capacity, feelings of defeat- many of our Horse Boy Tribe, friends, and families have experienced this in the days of COVID 19. Now, this is not another relentless reflection on all the negative things that have happened in the last year, but actually a story of hope.
I am blessed enough to still be able to travel for essential business. I was able to return to my family in Colorado when needed, even got to spend the holidays with them in a remote cabin in the mountains. I was able to finish my second residency for my studies in Arizona, and finally, I was even able to travel to Virginia to meet up with Cole’s tribe in Yorktown. And that is where the true light for inspiration and strength truly came from.
We had a big program planned with three courses: Horse Boy 1, 2, and 3 for various folks on different schedules. Exciting and challenging. What blew my mind, was what I found when I arrived. A few years back, Cole’s tribe was one of the first I visited and gave training to. They had just received their first horse from Texas. Megan, the mom of Cole had some very very basic riding and ‘hold on to the saddle’ skills, while absolutely still refusing to canter on the lunge line. She was not a horse person. Her twins still in diapers, and Cole her son diagnosed with autism, just started back riding and longlining a little bit with their basic horse team. He was considered non-verbal, and I was thrilled when we got the word “Splash” out of him to make Ma (the horse) splash in the creek. The horse was boarded at a barn that did not feel quite welcoming to our work and Cole’s needs. Trails were limited, and we were trying to build at least a little bit trot on a ‘trail’ going up and down the driveway.
When I arrived this time, I was curious. I had closely followed the progress of the tribe on our WhatsApp group, seen many pictures and videos, and heard many stories. But what I found went beyond my most wishful imagination.
Here was a successful professional extremely busy Megan, a horsewoman who ponies her son on beautiful trails on her own land in trot and canter, lunging, in-hand, and even jumping, opening her property and knowledge to other families in the community, building the best possible team for her family and work, while developing lesson plans and creative ways to teach them through Movement Method. Mother of twins that now walked and entertained with amusing stories all day long; Cole, who speaks more than 300 words in an hour on the horse, clearly communicating and self-advocating, riding like a pro and even starting to jump on the lunge. At one point he looked straight at me and clearly said “love”- talk about a heart-melting moment.
Megan is the light of hope. She has really done it and changed her dreams to be everything Cole needs. Her new land and barn radiate a warm welcome and acceptance. The team I trained was incredibly motivated and engaged. Cassie, the lead of the educational team- but so much more that cannot even be described, totally surprised me by being just as involved at the barn as at home. She is a brave leader, who has worked through her evaluations with exceptional examples of her work. She is on her way to becoming a trainer and has been a supreme pleasure to work with. But even more than that, the children absolutely adore her.
Two newer members of the Horse Boy Tribe marched their way into my memory. Lee, who has proven to be essential for the preparation of the horses, but even more important, the ponies are healthy and happy. Our shared passion for cross country jumping allowed a lot of creativity and excitement to be part of the training. Brian, our dressage expert, showed his skill and is developing into a nice addition to the team. Both are absolutely wonderful with the children and the horses- challenging to find folks like that. Megan chose well. With her leadership, we had a few days of outstanding training and progress, and I feel extremely privileged that I was able to be part of it all, at least for a short time.
What gives me hope, inspires me, and recharges my vision and wishes for change in education and therapy programs, is, here is actually someone (besides Scub and Rupert) who has done it- who has started from scratch with very traditional approaches and turned it into a safe haven for her children and other families. She could have had a million very acceptable excuses, but she simply got started and turned things around. It is most certainly refreshing to see, and I wish them the very best to continue the dream.
Cole’s Horse Autism Therapy Station is hosting its second Sensory Sunday for families with children who have autism or similar special needs.
It will be on Dec. 13.
Activities include a trail walk on the CHATS eighteen acre land, holiday themed sticker sheets, pinecone painting, sensory bags, ornament crafting, sand paper coloring, treehouse exploration, swings and interacting with CHATS therapy horse elves.
CHATS posted on Facebook tickets are $25 for families per family of five. To reserve a spot families are asked to email explorewithchats@yahoo.com.
Owners Drs. Megan McGavern and Huy Tran started the nonprofit CHATS in September to help kids like their autistic 9-year-old son Cole was helped through the Movement Method horse therapy in Austin, Texas three years ago.
“We saw such changes with Cole,” McGavern said.
MCGavern said the Movement Method is an evidence-based therapy model created by Rupert Isaacson for children with neurocognitive differences like autism. The therapy model based on the premise that children must be able to move in order to learn.
Isaacson wrote a book called the “The Horse Boy” about him and his wife’s journey to find healing for their autistic son, Rowan, after discovering their son Rowan’s condition was improving by contact with horses.
Within reading 20 pages of the book, McGavern said knew she had to find a way to meet him, they ended up taking him for a week to Austin. She created a movement method program soon after with two horses to help others.
“To be at this point where I can help other families is great,” McGavern said.
For more information about CHATS follow their Facebook page.
Daily Press
Virginia Gazette, November 6, 2020
By Maggie Moore
Families of children with autism find pandemic support in local organizations, equine therapy.
On a gray, drizzly Tuesday, three children and their families gathered in an outdoor riding arena at Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center in Toano. The children — small, shy, but confidently seated atop their horses — held the reins and circled the ring. And in the middle, shouting encouragement and instruction, stood Kim Wendell.
Wendell, a riding instructor at Dream Catchers, has worked at the organization since 2005. She leads many of the equine-assisted activities and therapy lessons that the center offers, all of which have “the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical and emotional development of the individual.” “They are learning a horse skill that helps them relate back to life," Wendell said.
For Nicole Smith, parent to two children who’ve attended Dream Catchers for years, that kind of lesson has made all the difference. Her son, Aaron, is now 18 years old, and has been taking lessons at the center for eight or nine years to help with his autism, anxiety disorder and intellectual issues, Smith said.
“Dream Catchers is this magical place,” Smith said. “The kids, when they’re here, they’re 100% supported, it’s 100% positive.”
“It’s just a place where the kids are accepted for who they are, and supported in every way imaginable.”
Riding horses can be a helpful form of therapy for children and adults, including those on the autism spectrum. Lessons for children with autism are calmer, quieter and more focused on sensory experiences than that Tuesday lesson, where the children in attendance did not have autism. But the structure of the lesson — “side walkers” next to the horse, a horse leader, and an instructor — was very similar. “Being with a horse encourages social behavior, which is one of the things that’s challenging for someone with autism," said Wendell in a phone interview. The tasks performed while riding can also boost a child’s self confidence, as they form connections with the animals and the instructors and achieve goals for themselves.
Dream Catchers is just one organization in the area that helps children with autism, and not the only one that utilizes therapeutic riding.
Megan McGavern is an internal medicine doctor in Yorktown whose son, Cole, has autism. Her new nonprofit horse therapy center, C.H.A.T.S., was recently approved to begin helping families in the Yorktown community, and will hold its first event in November using the Horse Boy equine therapy method. For her and her son, riding has been incredibly helpful.
“Nothing else has helped my son like this has,” McGavern said in a phone interview.
The benefits of therapeutic riding are supported by scientific research, including a study, “The Association Between Therapeutic Horseback Riding and the Social Communication and Sensory Reactions of Children with Autism," conducted at Dream Catchers and published in 2013.
That study in particular was small, and noted in the conclusion that further research was needed to compare mental health benefits for children with autism with benefits riding provided to other children. However, the study stated that therapeutic riding can help children on the autism spectrum for reasons ranging from the motion of the horse to the shared social experience.
According to Wendell, the consistency of these riding sessions is another important part of why they’re so helpful to the children taking part.
“Everything is very precise and established for a reason,” Wendell said, and that makes the children, who find structure and predictability important, less nervous about the new experience of riding a horse and more confident in their actions.
McGavern says that there are other reasons that therapeutic riding is so beneficial.
“There’s a lot of neuroscience behind why, for example, Horse Boy method works," McGavern said. “There’s different hormones that are released” when the child is on the horse, such as oxytocin. Oxytocin is a hormone that plays a role in relaxation, trust and social bonding.
“And when you go fast on a horse, it releases that hormone in high levels," which does a lot to make people, with autism and without, more relaxed, McGavern said.
The Horse Boy method was created by Rupert Isaacson, based on his experiences with his own son Rowan. When traditional behavioral therapy didn’t work, he decided to follow the advice of Dr. Temple Grandin and work with his son in a more movement-oriented way known as kinetic learning. After seeing the way his son interacted with the horses he owned, Isaacson incorporated riding into his practices, and with positive results, the Horse Boy method was born.
The Horse Boy method of therapeutic riding is different from what Dream Catchers does, according to McGavern, but the principle — helping children with autism, and their families, through therapeutic riding — is similar.
For some families, the need for resources and support was thrown into sharp relief when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Dream Catchers, for example, had to close for a few months at the start of the pandemic before re-opening with increased safety measures. With everything else also closed in March, there was “just a disconnect” for Smith and her two children.
“When Dream Catchers closed, that was just devastating for both of them," Smith said. Her son Aaron is someone who needs to be “out and about," and with her own job as a teacher and her efforts in grad school, their family really struggled with the lack of activity.
When the center reopened, Smith said she and her family were “elated."
Other organizations have also risen to the needs of children with autism and their families, whatever those needs may be, COVID-19 pandemic or not.
“I think the pandemic, whether you have a child with differences or not, has posed challenges,” said Julie Cullifer, executive director and co-founder of the One Child Center for Autism in Williamsburg. Cullifer helped found One Child seven years ago, with the intention of providing “the best (resources) at the lowest cost" to families at a time when those resources were more costly and less common.
Part of their mission is education on how autism affects children differently. Some children might find staying home from school less anxiety-inducing, for example, while others may miss the structure and find things more difficult during the pandemic.
“I think it really hearkens back to our name,” Cullifer said, which is a reference to a Stephen Shore quote: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”
Earlier this year, One Child established their OC academy, which their website states is “an effective tutoring program to support kids with developmental differences." The academy was started in response to the pandemic, when schools closed and One Child realized there was a need for “flexible programs” to meet “the changing needs of our families," the website states.
The academy is in addition to their regular resources for occupational therapy, Applied Behavior Analysis therapy and social skills therapy. The most effective methods for help depend on the child.
Cullifer explained that autism presents itself differently in each child, and each unique individual is part of a wide spectrum, with different needs.
That need for tailored assistance is a common theme. For McGavern, for example, the traditional suggestions she was getting from specialists — speech, occupational and ABA therapy — weren’t working for her son.
Riding therapy, and the other methods McGavern uses, have been much more helpful. Where before Cole said “10 words in a day,” he now says “maybe 300 words an hour on the horse.”
Her use of other learning methods, like kinetic learning in her son’s homeschooling, and her desire to start her own nonprofit to assist others, came from her own confusion and her son’s successes. After all, for her, “My goal is really to heal my son.”
Organizations like One Child, C.H.A.T.S, and Dream Catchers all aim to help families get through that lost-and-alone feeling.
“The parent support — everyone here knows me, and when we’ve had a bad day, there are times where I can walk up with tears in my eyes and someone will give me a hug and it makes it all better,” Smith said. “There’s not an ounce of judgement” at Dream Catchers, which is important for parents of children with special needs.
Of the riding center, Wendell said, “There’s a family feeling out there.”
Daily Press
Monday April 16, 2018
By Mike Holtzclaw
York Parents inspired by horse therapy
They hope to use animals to help autistic children
Two doctors in York County, inspired by a best-selling book, are planning to examine the potential benefits of horseback riding for their autistic son.
Megan McGavern and Huy Tran hope to eventually expand to offer opportunities to others in the area.
After their son Cole, now 7, was diagnosed with autism, McGavern said she and her husband read as many books as they could find on the subject. She was especially taken with "The Horse Boy," in which Texas journalist Rupert Isaacson relates his surprise and delight upon realizing that his autistic and largely uncommunicative son emerged from his shell in large part due to the motions of riding a horse.
"I got to that book in May 2017, and within a couple of pages I was already thinking, 'Does this guy have a ranch where he offers to help others?'" McGavern said. "We ended up going with Cole to his ranch outside of Austin, Texas, in October. He wasn't doing great in the school system at that time, and what we saw made us decide to pursue this."
The family recently bought a horse, a 16-year-old female with extensive experience with autistic riders, from Isaacson. The author will visit the family later this week to describe techniques and exercises that have been beneficial.
At this point, McGavern said, the focus is on treating her son. But she is hoping to hire "three to five people," ideally with some experience with education and/or a background in equestrian activities.
She has formed a corporation, Diesel 10 LLC, and says she hopes to eventually be able to help others in the region.
"I definitely want this to be something I can open up to the community at some point," McGavern said. "We're not there yet, and I'm not sure when we will be, but yes, that's definitely a goal."