Chickens for Autism

[mlm Mike]

 

[Calebs Chicks]

Blooie...is this a commercial product? I can't find it on the net?

 

[gander007]

Gander007; I too have heard about Hippotherapy and its effects with disabled kids. My cousins daughter was born a few weeks after my son, and is also severely Autistic. She was physically affected too, and could not walk or sit up for years. Maggie and her husband started to take her to a riding clinic. She now walks, and moves about on her own, and has learned to communicate via the computer. It's amazing what this did for her!

Oh it surprised me how much it worked and it must well for others or it would not be so wide spread and the first time I was introduced to it I was thinking what a bunch of ideates but then after my boy got use to being around the horses he turned out to be a very good cowboy but the big problem was he had no fear of getting hurt so a close eye had to be kept on him but his vocabulary shot up like a rocket and just as you wrote about the computer he can spell much better then I can but there is no spacing between words but he sure can get the computer to do what he is interested in doing like playing Thomas The Train and other cartoon games so I am defiantly happy your cousins daughter got some help and it made a drastic change in her life .

I do hope this is one program that the government wont drop the funding for !

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Blooie]

Nope, just a heating pad, a frame and a towel. We're up in Cody eating at the moment and then Kendra has her appointment to take the KAFOS off her AFOS but I'll send you the link when I get home. Either that or you can search for Mama Heating a pad in the Brooder, either here on BYC or Google.

 

[Calebs Chicks]

Thank you Bantam Fan!

 

[Calebs Chicks]

I will check into it tonight after the natives are in bed....thanks as usual Blooie!

 

[Blooie]

Of course!

We're home now so here's a couple of links that you might find helpful. Now, with these Silkies being Caleb's special project, you might not be interested in the Brooding Outdoors article since he'll want to see them up close and personal a lot. But this is Mama Heating Pad in action in a small brooder in the house. The chicks sleep quietly all night long with this system so they ain't waking up the whole family just because THEY want to be awake. If you really look at little chicks, I think they'are all autistic too!

Actually I'd like to take credit for that, but that was from Katie....

Anyway, links:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/956958/mama-heating-pad-in-the-brooder-picture-heavy-update

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/yes-you-certainly-can-brood-chicks-outdoors

And just to make Caleb and Katie 2 giggle....gotta come up with a good way to differentiate between the girls!

 

[Calebs Chicks]

So; totally sold on this mama heating pad deal. Seems way more natural, and too cute to boot! We live in a small 2 bedroom trailer so space is a consideration, and as much as I love chicks.....once a couple weeks old, do not enjoy their poop so much....lol! The darn heat lamp always triggered my thermostat too, and set our air conditioner to running like crazy.....was a pain! So glad you told me about this gem of a method!!
And yes! The longer I have been Calebs mom, the more I notice how much Autism is similar to animal thinking. And- for those new to this thread...that is meant in a positive way! Anyone ever read the book- "All cats have Aspergers"? It's a great read for kids or to be read to kids who either have it, or have siblings/ family with it!!!

And I was thinking that I need a way to tell the chicks apart from each other.....hmmmmm......

 

[Chickengal505]

Howdy! Hate to pop in the thread and start throwing suggestions but I'm going to anyway

We use colored zip ties around a chick's ankle to identify birds from one another, but I'm wondering if a colored ribbon or maybe even braided embroidery thread would be more interesting to look at. I don't have any family with autism, but as a service dog handler I have been blessed with the opportunity to form friendships virtually with other adults and teenagers who are on the spectrum who use service animals to gain independence. My experiences are obviously much different than most of the special needs parents present, as I'm not a caregiver and my friends are verbal and high functioning, but I do have a rough understanding of autism. I'm thinking that multi-colored birds like sex-links and barred rocks, and even a mixed flock with different feather textures would provide a more visually stimulating flock than a flock of one breed. I've never heard of anyone having a Silkie with an attitude problem, so I believe they'd be a great breed to include.