Professors Sandy and Tom Ward speak at Dream Catchers
Impact of therapeutic riding for children with autism
Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center hosted an education day for TRAV (Therapeutic Riding Association of Virginia) on August 11. The featured speakers included School of Education School Counseling Professor Sandy Ward, PhD and School of Education Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership Professor Tom Ward, PhD, both members of the Dream Catchers Research Team.
Drs. Ward provided an overview of the Research Team’s recently published study - the findings of which support the positive impact of therapeutic riding for children with autism. The data from this study also indicate that these positive improvements generalized to the school classroom. In addition, Drs. Ward detailed how to use data to improve equine programs and services, and ways therapeutic horsemanship centers could work together on research initiatives.
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About Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center
Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center is the premier therapeutic riding center between Charlottesville and Virginia Beach. Located in Toano, Virginia, Dream Catchers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization hosting more than 4,000 therapeutic riding lessons each year to help children and adults with special needs reach their potential and make dreams come true.
