Why Take This Course?

This online course on Cerebral Palsy (CP) and hippotherapy is designed for rehab professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of this powerful therapeutic modality. It offers an unparalleled look into the integration of hippotherapy into the comprehensive care of children with CP, focusing on a specific child's musculoskeletal and developmental challenges from birth through age 10. The course provides real-life application for therapeutic skills through detailed, on-site demonstrations filmed in both clinical and barn settings. You will witness a therapist's expert navigation of clinical and hippotherapy sessions, incorporating a range of activities like riding backward, figure eights, and various ball tosses.

These activities are designed to target key areas such as core stability, coordination, tone regulation, and vestibular function. The curriculum also includes an introduction to Ankle-Foot Orthoses (AFOs) and Dynamic Ankle-Foot Orthoses (DAFOs). You will learn how these devices are utilized within this case study to support and improve the child's gait and mobility. In addition, the course explores the use of other assistive devices, including gait walkers and Lofstrand crutches, and how they are integrated into the child's therapy plan to promote independence. We'll delve into the rationale behind each activity's benefits and explore the use of standardized assessment tools, including the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-2) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), to quantify and track patient progress over a decade. Join us as we bridge theory and practice to enhance your clinical skills in treating pediatric patients with CP in this unique and exciting environment.

This course is applicable for PT, PTA, OT, COTA, SLP, and AT

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the medical professional will be able to:

• Describe the diagnosis of cerebral palsy and the associated musculoskeletal and developmental impairments.
• Explain the neurophysiological principles underlying the therapeutic benefits of equine movement in hippotherapy.
• Evaluate the suitability of a pediatric patient with cerebral palsy for hippotherapy based on their clinical presentation and contraindications.
• Identify the benefits of utilizing DAFO to enhance mobility in a patient with cerebral palsy.
• Design a goal-oriented hippotherapy treatment plan that addresses specific gross motor deficits in children with CP.
• Justify the use of diverse activities; e.g., riding backward, figure eights, within a hippotherapy session to target specific therapeutic goals.
• Analyze the impact of rhythmic, repetitive equine movement on the patient's vestibular system, postural control, and muscle tone.
• Select and apply standardized assessment tools, such as the GMFM and PDMS-2, to objectively measure progress in children undergoing hippotherapy.
• Interpret the results of motor function assessments to adjust and optimize the hippotherapy intervention over time.
• Integrate hippotherapy as a complementary treatment within a broader, multidisciplinary care plan for a child with CP.
• Educate families and other healthcare providers on the evidence-based benefits and potential outcomes of hippotherapy.