Amanda Holland Hannah Campbell Stable Spirit Amanda Holland Hannah Campbell

Stable Spirit Located in Rose City, Texas A nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide the community with opportunities that inspire positive mental, physical, and emotional health through professionally guided interaction with horses. In partnership with Kids Therapy

Stable Spirit Goal- Objectives- Develop, coordinate, and implement an oral health program for children, parents and volunteers of Stable Spirit Objectives- Increase dental health knowledge by 25% Provide dental resources to help parents increase their child’s oral health Improve oral hygiene skills by 25% Train volunteers to continue oral health program at Stable Spirit

Review of Literature Autism is a complex disorder that effects brain development Symptoms can be mild to severe in individuals with autism Autism itself does not increase the risk for caries, but many of the symptoms make oral hygiene more difficult for the individual It is often difficult for the parent or caregiver to find a dentist willing to work with an individual who has autism (12 dentists in Texas that specialize in autism)

Population Target Population Individuals with Autism Ages 5-18 Parents, Caregivers, Volunteers

Program Description 4 Session 2-3hrs To help improve individuals at Stable Spirit to improve their oral health 2-3hrs Depending on how many patients show up and how long their therapy session is. It could be from 30min-1hr per session Talked to parents and caregivers about Plaque Brushing Flossing Nutrition

Survey Measurements & Results Pretest and posttest at each session Taught and practice oral hygiene skills Hands on skills Results Increased dental health knowledge by 15% Provided many resources to help parents improve oral hygiene Increased oral hygiene skills by 20%

Evaluation & Interpretation Strengths Balancing knowledge with practical skills Involving the children Providing resources to the parents Weakness Cancelations Lack of volunteer participation Parents that attended were very proactive

Improvements Call ahead to make sure patients are still coming, or to see how many patients have canceled Meet ahead with volunteers and staff to talk about oral health care Get more parents involved

Closure Overall the program was good and we were well prepared Parents that were there benefited from the things we talked to them about along with giving them handouts We would enjoy going out and helping others in our community to better help their oral health care needs