My Nonprofit Reviews

My daughter has Aspergers syndrome, anxiety, and coordination issues. She is strong willed, and used to doing things her way. She was also terrified of animals prior to working with Joan. Who would have thought that soon she would be following Joan's directions on how to care for these huge animals? Joan is an amazing person, who has the perfect balance of respect, love, and firmness to work with kids on the spectrum. I could go on and on about how much she has changed our lives for the better, but will share just one story. When the time came for my daughter to mount "her" horse Izzy for the first time, she froze. I was outside the ring watching. She tensed up, and she started repeating “I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared.” Those of you who know children on the autism spectrum may recognize this moment as the moment before a melt-down. If I had been the person by her side, I know she would have refused to get on, no matter how much I encouraged her. I watched from the distance. Joan just said “It will be OK” and my daughter got on Izzy! That was a miracle for me. Joan had somehow unlocked the door that had gone up in my daughter's mind. She didn’t push her through the door. She didn’t say “come on, get on!” She just made it possible for my daughter to believe she could do it. My daughter rode for at least 10 minutes that day, praciticing to start and stop, to keep good posture, and to tell Izzy she was a good horse. All I could think was "I'm soooo lucky to have found Joan"!

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