Special Needs Children in Vallarta Receive Dolphin Therapy NotiVallarta
go to original October 1, 2013

A joy-filled goal-oriented dolphin program...

Our special needs children of Puerto Vallarta are thrilled to have the opportunity to interact with the dolphins as part of the Comprehensive Care Program for People with Disabilities (PAID), thanks to the collaboration with Vallarta Adventures and Integral Family Development (DIF), chaired by Magaly Fregoso Ortiz.

The Dolphin Assisted Therapy is available free from Vallarta Adventures to 30 of our special children each month who are affected with Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy or Muscular Dystrophy.

The children, along with their parents or guardians, are delivered to the dolphin arena in Nuevo Vallarta during weekends to interact with the dolphins with the hope of these sessions helping in the development of the children.

Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) programs are tailored to the individual needs of the participant with session goals set by the family and Vallarta Adventure staff at the beginning of the journey. The program consists of in-water interactions between the patient and the dolphin, assisted by their experienced Dolphin Therapy team.

DAT programs help participants learn to feel more positively about themselves in an environment that promotes fun, play and learning, providing them with the opportunity to bridge that experience back into their personal lives. The overall experience causes a relative improvement in the child's awareness, mental state and in the way they relate to the environment around them, which can be noticed session after session.

Entering into the dolphin's world provides a relaxing environment which helps participants to gain the most from the interactions and importantly provides children with a fun-filled time away from the stress of medical, physical, or emotional concerns.

"Therapies not only benefit the health of the child, but also the family environment that is affected by the condition being treated," said one of the leaders of the therapies, who said that with this type of treatment, the children can be integrated into society and it helps them to perform daily activities.

As an added bonus, the dolphin therapy also fulfills the dreams of our youngsters dealing with the disabilities on a daily basis. Such is the case with Juanito, a child of 7 years old, who is hearing impaired and wanted to get to know the dolphins. The dolphins emit  ultrasonic frequency which stimulates the central nervous system of the child, thus improving brain plasticity.

Both the Municipal DIF as well as the PAID program can carry out these therapies through the generosity of individuals and socially responsible companies, however, there are still people on the waiting list requiring other therapies, needed braces and surgeries.

Vallarta Adventures is located in Nuevo Vallarta at Av. Las Palmas #39. Telephone is 888-526-2238 and email is info@vallarta-adventures.com. For more information, visit Vallarta Adventures.

Translated and edited by Team Angels

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