Australia-first therapy program, Autism Horses, shows results in Port Hedland

A groundbreaking therapy program for people who are neurodiverse — the only one of its kind in Australia — is being delivered in Port Hedland, and has shown some remarkable results. Autism Horses provides therapy programs for people who are neurodiverse or have other socially challenged diagnoses. Every Monday and Tuesday the organisation delivers therapy sessions at the JD Hardie Youth and Community Hub in South Hedland. Autism Horses managing director Cristelle Capitani said horses had been found to be a great support mechanism for people who are neurodiverse. “Horses regulate people and provide a period of homeostasis,” she said. “Neurodiverse and other socially challenged people cannot learn unless they are regulated. “Neurotypical people can manage high levels of stress and still learn but neurodivergent and some socially challenged people cannot.” A horse has a nervous system five times larger than a human’s. Given this size discrepancy, Ms Capitani said horses have been found to be incredibly effective regulators of human heart rates. “It takes around 15 minutes for a person to be around a horse for their heart rate to slow down,” she said. “We used to measure people’s heart rates before they started with the horses and then after. “We were getting a reduction in heart rate of up to 12 beats per minute which is just phenomenal.” Autism for Horses also delivers community programs to educate people about neurodiversity and trains people to support neurodiverse loved ones. Ms Capitani said the program was open to all ages and was the only one of its kind in Australia. “It’s innovative and informed by international experts,” she said. “The participants are being taught something known as interoception. “They learn to recognise a bodily sensation, whether that sensation turns into a feeling, and whether that feeling is OK or uncomfortable and then take action to regulate that feeling.” The program has been endorsed by international autism experts Dr Wenn Lawson and Kelly Mahler.