THERAPISTS' AND TEACHERS' VIEWS ON THE EFFECTS OF HIPPOTHERAPY |
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Erna Žgur, Janez Jerman Abstract Lifelong learning and training of persons with severe intellectual disabilities (ID) involve a suitable rehabilitation programme. They include different neurotherapeutic methods and procedures. Hippotherapy has recently been recognized as one such method of medical treatment that might be useful for this purpose. In this study, we were interested in the views of various professional workers (special education and rehabilitation teachers, work therapists, speech and language therapists and physiotherapists) on hippotherapy. These professionals were all engaged in education and training of persons with special needs, mainly persons with ID and motor impairment. Results showed the general difference between professional workers in evaluating the effects of hippotherapy (improvement of perception, sensory integration, attention, concentration, speech and language, as well as broader social communication, motor skills, relaxation, self-concept, emotional expression). Statistically significant difference was determined in teachers' evaluation of the effects of hippotherapy. We can conclude that the positive effects of hippotherapy are better recognised by the teachers who are in direct day-to-day contact with the observed students. Key words: hippotherapy, attitude of professional workers towards hippotherapy Erna Žgur, PhD in Special and Rehabilitation Pedagogy, is an Associate professor at the Universty of Ljubljana (Faculty of Education) and a Specialist Neuro-Physiotherapist. Contact address:
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Janez Jerman, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Universty of Ljubljana (Faculty of Education).Contact address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Cite this article: |
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