Dr. Brenda E. Abbey

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I have written a research article which supports the benefits of Equine-Assisted experiential learning sessions for children.
Recently, I had the  unique opportunity to visit the Greater Edmonton area and participate as a guest in The Arabian Horse Literacy Reading Project.
I was able to take this special picture  which captures a special bonding moment and  shows the real interactions that were taking place.

The experience was magical as I  participated in the learning activities and interacted with  the Elementary students, the horses and the DONKEY who was a star !!

Below is the link to  their Arabian Horse Reading website .
You can view a wonderful VIDEO called Reading with the Horses and there are also Research links to this  Professional Research article-How Can Equine-Assisted Therapy Re- Pattern the Limbic System?
There are also 2 other links to articles that I have written called Equine -Assisted Learning-Healing with Horses as well as Praise versus Encouragement .

Enjoy!!
Dr. Brenda E. Abbey

In many classroom learning activities , considerable burdens are  placed on a student’s working memory, whether related to Mathematics, Reading,  Written Language, Science or Social Studies. Activities which require the student to hold in their brain  some information{ a sentence to be written down} while spelling the individual words in the sentence are the kinds of classroom learning activities on which children with poor working memory struggle with the most. As a result, many students with poor working memory fail to complete their assignments properly because they have lost the crucial information needed to guide their actions.
Working memory failures can manifest themselves in frequent errors like;-incomplete recall, failing to follow instructions or forgetting the content of an instruction or only remembering a part of the sequence,  short unorganized written output, place-keeping errors and task abandonment where the child gives up on the assignment completely.

In order to avoid working memory related failures, educators need to be aware of the cognitive processing demands on working memory loads, then decrease the working memory loads in a variety of structured classroom learning activities. 

 Since there is uncertainty about outcomes , any  new learning experience is often scary for both children as well as young  racehorses. I have found planning for success in any learning activity  involves an understanding  of the unique  temperament and needs of either the child or the young thoroughbred.  One training plan does not fit  all children or young horses.
I believe  attachment provides a strong foundation for the child as well as the young racehorse and reaffirms the importance of establishing a relationship to develop trust and motivation to learn.

As a breeder and owner of registered Thoroughbreds as well as a Child Cognitive Psychologist in private practice,  I have realized that understanding the difference between an Agenda and a Plan is important when developing the strengths of both  young racehorses and students.
Agendas are rigid and without tolerance and adhering to AGENDAS when working with young horses or children's literacy learning  does not work as effectively as having a PLAN.
A plan means you have a specific outcome or goal in mind , however the HOW of  plans are flexible and can change , depending on  the specific characteristics/ strengths of the child  or the young horse.
In essence , one size does not fit all and those AGENDA followers  who are not flexible, end up frustrating everyone. Having a Plan allows us to change with the circumstances, eliminating the methods that do not work for the child or the young horse , while still focusing on what is important . All involved appreciate the focus on a positive learning atmosphere and interactions which will help reach the desired results.
Dr. Brenda E. Abbey  

Crimson Deed became  a racing winner in 2012. She is shown here at 10 days old  with her Champion Mother -Crimson Hue.
 
 Sadly her mother died when this filly was 3 months old.
Crimson Deed's story of overcoming obstacles and growing up as an orphan is the inspiration for a new Children's Therapy Picture /Storybook written by
                                              her  Thoroughbred owner/ breeder Dr. Brenda E. Abbey.
 This book will be of value as a therapy storybook as it relates to themes of loss, determination and the importance of Mother/ Baby attachment .
Crimson Deed has also  been a therapy partner for children involved in Equine- Assisted Learning sessions facilitated by Dr. Abbey . Children interacted with Crimson Deed and marvelled at her story of dealing with being alone after her mother died.
Contact Dr. Brenda E. Abbey for more information.

There is no finer mirror of our true nature than the horse.

This experiential nature of interacting with Thoroughbred horses on a large breeding farm in Alberta encourages self- awareness, self- regulation and personal reflection for children and youth.
 Dr. Brenda E. Abbey's counselling experience  and research indicates that Equine Facilitated Learning increases the child/ youth  client's awareness of their own emotional state and non -verbal body language based on recognizing the horse's reactions during the interaction time in the pasture or private paddock. This type of experiential learning with horses has proven very effective as a positive intervention  for children with ADD/ADHD . Even very young foals will react and provide a MIRROR for the client.
Dr.  Brenda E. Abbey has written an  article on Healing with Horses as well as another Research Paper   about How Equine- Assisted Learning Repatterns the Limbic System in children's brains { based on her own Applied research in this area}.

Using Encouragement Effectively:  My  article  also  has positive   Implications for Coaching  Children with Learning,  ADD  / ADHD   and Behaviour challenges.

Children and parents benefit from understanding about their strengths and  that ADD is better viewed as a DIFFERENCE in how their child's  brain works and processes information  and ADD should  not be interpretted as  a DEFICIT .
 
How we connect with others has unimagined significance in both our personal , family and business lives.  Both entrepreneurs and Parents can   find out WHY using Encouragement effectively can enrich your social aptitude, empathy  and enhance  coaching skills in a variety of situations !!
 
 ***Original Copyrighted  Article
 ** Written and published  Jun 18, 2010 by Dr. Brenda E. Abbey
 
In my  earlier published  article on  BIZNIK site , I wrote about the psychological difference between Praise and Encouragement. The effective use of Encouragement, whether at the workplace or in your home, can be of great assistance in creating an environment where motivation and positive relationships can flourish. Encouragement may be more effective and more motivating than praise and is an invaluable tool in your business or personal motivational repertoires. Encouragement can be instrumental in building self esteem, fostering cooperation, celebrating unique skills and abilities and assisting struggling coworkers through difficult or challenging times.

How can Encouragement affect our brain?

In the emerging field of social neuroscience, there are continued findings and insights into our interpersonal world and an understanding of these can enrich our business and personal lives. Neuroscience has discovered that we are wired to connect by our brain’s very design and we are drawn into a brain-to- brain link up whenever we interact with another person. The pathways of our social brain are sensitive not only to signals emerging from within us, but also to the world at large. Through a process called “neuroplasticity”, our social interactions play a role in reshaping our brain since repeated experiences sculpt the size, shape and number of neurons and their synaptic connections. This new body of psychological research reveals that our relationships have a subtle yet powerful impact on us. By driving our brain into a given register, our key personal and work relationships (whether being emotionally nourished or chronically hurt and angered) can gradually mold and refashion the structure of our brain. In our lives and careers, many of us have been blessed with some generous mentors and we have not only learned from their wisdom but also from their manner of interaction and how that impacted our feelings. By reflecting on the work environment at the Children’s Treatment Setting, I realized that I learned the most about Encouragement by watching and attempting to replicate my mentor’s interpersonal skills.

What are some ingredients of Effective Encouragement?

There should be a solid, observable, and realistic reason for the comment and it needs to be specific to the behaviour that reflects the accomplishment or effort. When you give an encouraging comment, it should be sincere since our social radar can detect “phony” and this can cause the recipient to feel minimized or patronized. As Simon Sinek shared in his explanation of his Golden Circle idea and the importance of WHY in business, we think from the inside out and our Limbic brain is responsible for Trust by controlling our decision making. If the compliments are continually offered without being specific, the recipient can become desensitized so even well-earned compliments become meaningless.

The effectiveness of Encouragement is enhanced by the ability to express Interest, Gratitude and Enthusiasm. When I tried to analyze why I had positive perceptions of my interactions with my mentor at the Treatment Setting, I came to understand that he provided me with a lot of Encouragement. But perhaps most important, this person always showed an interest in my life. He consistently demonstrated his interest in me as a person, always beginning every call or interaction by inquiring about some aspect of my life or activities.

Once I recognized the power of Interest, I used this strategy more often to build and maintain my relationships with colleagues, students’ parents and students. People love talking about themselves. As a Special Educator, I realized that I could use interest to foster a difficult child’s motivation and build relationships. I believe that this same expression of genuine and sincere interest is applicable to any business or personal setting as well. You may be surprised how much of a positive impact it has.

By expressing his sincere gratitude to me about something specific that I had done, my mentor articulated how my actions had helped his workload and others at the Treatment Setting.

In his capacity as Executive Director of the Treatment Setting, my mentor often said “Enthusiasm is contagious and so is the lack of it”. He strongly believed that the special education teacher, as well as the childcare counselors in each treatment classroom set the tone and climate in that room. If the professionals were enthusiastic, lively and animated, then the students with emotional and severe behaviour needs were more likely to respond and also mirror these attitudes. If you reflect for a moment upon the most memorable coaches from your own school career, you will probably remember that they were enthusiastic about their subject area, their jobs and their students. Enthusiasm affects us and it infects us. The Limbic brain reads body language and Penn State professor Stanley Du Belle’s research study identified traits and observable behaviours that earned teachers a description of “enthusiastic” from a group of students. The research showed that body language contributed significantly to the perception of Enthusiasm and examples included rich vocabularies with extensive use of adjectives, a high degree of energy, exuberance, frequent demonstrative gestures, and animated vocal delivery.

 While I am not advocating that all of us become interested, grateful cheerleaders in front of our business colleagues, I believe that there is merit in making a concerted effort to incorporate some of these encouraging traits into our daily style of interaction in our work environment.
Written by Dr. Brenda E. Abbey ©