animal-assisted therapy

Excited for Spring!

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Excited for Spring!

All of us at Nature’s Edge Therapy Center are getting excited for spring!  While the first official day for spring is not until March 19, 2020, we are celebrating early by sharing our upcoming exciting events we have for everyone in our community!  We hope that the snow melts before this year’s spring and summer events, but we are here to celebrate with all of you snow, rain, or shine!  All events are now listed on our website under the Nature’s Edge calendar, providing additional information as needed.  If you have any questions regarding our upcoming events, please call us at 715-859-6670 or send us an e-mail!  We look forward to seeing you out at the ranch!

March 2020

  • March 9 – Special Education PTA Resource Fair and Fun Day (Eau Claire, WI)

April 2020

  • April 24 – Free Screening Day at Nature’s Edge Therapy Center

    This event is free and available to the public!  All interested individuals are encouraged to call and schedule ahead for a free 30-minute screening appointment for speech and/or occupational therapy services to address any potential concerns.  Speech pathologists provide assistance with: hearing, swallowing, feeding, stuttering, voice, articulation, assistive technology, memory, social skills, reading, and writing and language.  Occupational therapists provide assistance with: attention span, arousal level, sensory and processing skills, emotional regulation, fine and gross motor skills, upper body range of motion, pre-employment, and daily living activities.

May 2020

  • 11th Annual Disabilities Resource Fair (Monticello, MN)
  • Registration Due Date for ‘Summer Fun for Children’ group: May 20, 2020

June 2020

  • Summer Learning Groups and ‘Reminiscing on the Farm’ Program starts!
    • ‘Reminiscing on the Farm’ (ROTF) Program is hosted on our 65-acre ranch, inviting our community friends in surrounding regional senior care facilities to participate in a multi-sensory and social outing experience that awakens and elicits fond past memories to share.  ROTF is hosted every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. starting June 3 and running through September 9.  Regional facilities are invited to contact us and schedule a date to participate!  This popular program is largely funded by a generous grant from Bader Philanthropies!
    • Summer Learning Groups Out-of-Doors:
      • “Meet Me at the Reading Tree”: Struggling readers will be actively engaged in outdoor and equine activities to focus on the tasks of hearing, decoding words, recognizing sight words, understanding word and text meanings, and reading with expression.  The barn, forest paths, river, pond, garden, – and of course, the Reading Tree will be learning sites for readers.  All participants must be accompanied by an adult and is designed for children ages 5-9.  Cost per participant: $225.  Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
      • Active Outdoor Adventurers: Outdoor hands-on learning about nature, earth, and environmental activities and play in a social group program.  Emphasis will be placed on following directions, turn taking, and collaborating to complete hands-on learning and physical activity outside.  This program is designed for children ages 3 – 7 years.  All participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Cost per participant: $150. Time: 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
      • ‘Improving our Independence’: Learn how to become more independent throughout aging. Education will be provided on energy conservation, kitchen/community mobility, and adaptive equipment for dressing/bathing to become more independent or continue our independence safely. Group members will participate in education of fall prevention and how to incorporate exercises to maintain strength or gain strength to carry over for home use while enjoying our beautiful nature environment.   This program is designed for adults ages 50 years and older. Cost per participant: $150. Time: 8:30 – 10:00 a.m.
      • ‘Stable’ Life Skills: Offered as two groups based on various age ranges, participants will learn various life skills activities.
        • Group 1: Designed for ages 13-17 years, participants will participate in ranch and nature based-activities while learning various life skill strategies to support increased independence.  Emphasis will be placed on time management, planning, goal setting, social participation, and team building skills necessary for pre-vocational and vocational skills.  All participants must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Cost per participant: $150. Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
        • Group 2: Designed for adults 18-30 years, participants must be able to complete some basic daily routines independently and may be looking to transition into living independently or within a group setting.  If appropriate, a parent or guardian may attend.  The group will participate in ranch and nature based-activities while learning various life skill strategies that support increased independence.  Emphasis on time management, money management, goal setting, social participation, cooking, household management, and team building skills necessary for young adults interested in working towards functional independence at home and/or vocational settings. Cost per participant: $150. Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
      • ‘Learning Social Skills on the Ranch’: Offered as two groups based on various age ranges, participants will learn various social skills and activities.
          • Group 1: Designed for ages 13-18 years.  Participants require accompaniment by a parent or guardian. Cost per participant: $150. Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
          • Group 2: Designed for ages 7-12 years.   Participants require accompaniment by a parent or guardian. Cost per participant: $150. Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
          • Outdoor activities integrated with nature and animals (including equine assisted activities) will be used to teach social skills. Eye contact, greetings, making requests, turn taking in conversation, expressing feelings and paying attention to nonverbal communication are themes that will be discussed and role-played. Homework is provided for practice in daily activities.
      • ‘Fun with Picky Eaters’: This program is designed for children ages 2 – 5 years who have difficulty with new textures and tastes.  The children must have some beginning language and ability to follow simple directives.  A parent or guardian is required to participate. This group will provide socialization and fun with foods and peers in a ranch setting with support from motivating animals during each session.  Therapy will include learning, playing, and interacting with a variety of foods and textures in a safe, rewarding environment. Cost per participant: $150. Time: 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
  • Registration Due Date for the following Summer Learning groups: June 1, 2020
    • “Meet Me at the Reading Tree” (Dates: 6/23, 6/26, 6/29, 71, 7/2, 7/6)
    • Active Outdoor Adventurers (Dates: 6/23, 6/26, 6/30, 7/3)
    • ‘Improving our Independence’ (Dates: 6/25, 7/2, 7/9, 7/16)
    • ‘Stable’ Life Skills (Group 1) (Dates: 6/23, 6/26, 6/30, 7/2, 7/7, 7/10)

July 2020

  • Summer Learning Groups and ‘Reminiscing on the Farm’ Programs continue!
  • Registration Due Dates:
    • ‘Learning Social Skills on the Ranch’ (Group 1): July 1, 2020 (Dates: 7/21, 7/23, 7/28, 7/30)
    • ‘Stable’ Life Skills (Group 2): July 7, 2020 (Dates: 7/28, 7/31, 8/4, 8/7, 8/11, 8/14)
    •  ‘Fun with Picky Eaters’: July 13, 2020 (Dates: 8/3, 8/4, 8/5, 8/10, 8/11)
    •  ‘Learning Social Skills on the Ranch’ (Group 2): July 20, 2020 (Dates: 7/28, 7/31, 8/4, 8/7, 8/11, 8/14)

August 2020

  • Summer Learning Groups and ‘Reminiscing on the Farm’ Programs continue!

September 2020

  • Summer Learning Groups and ‘Reminiscing on the Farm’ Programs wrap-up!

Social Skills and Therapy

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Social Skills and Therapy

Social interaction and engagement is a common lifelong skill that many people may take for granted.  Social skills are influenced by a variety of contexts, including geographical location, temporal dates, and societal, cultural, and familial expectations and beliefs.  Social skills can encompass written language, speech, verbal and nonverbal communication, and how we communicate and follow unwritten or unspoken expected social rules (known as pragmatics).  While many of us take for granted learning some of these social skills, there are many people who have difficulty understanding and learning the pragmatics that dictate our everyday lives and social interactions.  This often causes people that struggle to understand pragmatics to feel socially isolated, potentially further self-limiting their own social engagement and having difficulty participating in daily life activities and routines (Griswold, 2016). 

Speech and occupational therapy services help address deficits in social interaction, engagement, and overall communication to improve development of social relationships and engagement in daily life activities and routines.  Therapists work with individuals to develop social skills by utilizing strategies including: teaching how to interpret verbal and non-verbal communication, teaching how to identify and develop self-regulation of emotions, utilizing social scripts to navigate social scenarios, role-playing, teaching active listening and receptive language skills, social skills groups, and practicing turn-taking, reciprocal engagement, and joint attention (ASHA, n.d.; Foster, 2013; Griswold, 2016). If you or a loved one has trouble navigating daily routines, find communicating with others difficult, or feel confused or isolated when trying to understand another person’s perspective, you may benefit from therapy services addressing social communication and participation.  Call our office at (715)859-6670 or contact us via e-mail at [email protected] to learn more about how targeted social skills development may benefit you or your loved one.

Brown and white horse with boy dressed in winter clothes standing next to horse outside in snow.

Therapy horse Callie practicing social skills with a Nature’s Edge friend.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (n.d.). Social Communication. https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Social-Communication/#social
Foster, L. (2013). Occupational therapy’s role in mental health promotion, prevention, & intervention with children & youth: Social and emotional learning (SEL). School Mental Health Toolkit.  
Griswold, L. A. (2016). Promoting a student’s social interaction skills to enhance participation with peers. SIS Quarterly Practice Connections. 1(3), 4–6.