Leon's adventures with dolphins

Written by Jasmin (Leon's mum)

Leon is 5 years old and lives in Germany. Last May, he had the pleasure of taking part in dolphin therapy for the second time. The dolphin therapy took place in Lara, Turkey, at the "mydolphins" centre. A 10-day course of therapy is recommended to allow the child to get used to the dolphins and for the therapy to take effect.

Water therapy with the dolphins lasts 30 minutes and always takes place in the morning. Only one or two dolphins are available. The dolphin therapist is always in the water, and the dolphin trainer is outside the water. The therapist was always very close to Leon, which gave him confidence in the water and enabled him to perform the various movements with him.

Part of the water therapy consists of stroking the dolphin with your hands, exploring it with your feet, holding its snout to your head to receive the precious and promising sonar waves, being pulled by the dolphin in the water tank, playing with the dolphin with balls and rings.

Siblings are always allowed to come into the pool with their own dolphin and therapist, so that they too can enjoy this wonderful experience with their disabled brother or sister. It's also a kind of therapy for the brother or sister, giving them a break from their demanding daily lives. Parents are also allowed to come into the pool once, to feel and understand what the children experience with the dolphin and how they feel when they receive such therapy. After the water therapy, the child is showered and given another half-hour of physiotherapy by a German physiotherapist.

We are absolutely delighted with the dolphin therapy and have already seen significant changes and progress on Leon's first visit. It is said that most children make progress between 4 and 8 weeks after the therapy.

This was also the case for Leon. Before the therapy, Leon was able to do two without assistance from time to time, but he lacked the security and above all the courage to go any further. Almost to the day, 6 weeks after the dolphin therapy, he got up in the morning and started walking freely. Leon was generally much more relaxed and in control of himself. That's why we wanted to make a second visit as soon as possible. This took place around 9 months later. It was great to see how happy Leon was to see the dolphins again. He interacted with them immediately and we could feel that he remembered how good it had been for him. He couldn't do without them and, compared with the first therapy, he was even more open and sought constant physical contact with the dolphins. Here too, we've noticed that Leon is much more relaxed and balanced. We look forward to seeing his progress in a few weeks' time.

If you are interested and have more specific questions, we are at your disposal.

Jasmin, Steffen, Linda and Leon