As a parent, I view occupational therapy as a strategy to support my child's preferences and affirm his identity as an autistic/neurodivergent, in addition to what we/he learn(s) in a clinical setting.
Occupational therapy (OT) helps manage everyday challenges for an autistic individual. I've read much about OT and observed sessions to transfer and apply it at home successfully or when we're out and about.
OT offers functional strategies that can help, whether it enhances how children/individuals respond to touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound or helps them learn how to fasten their clothes or even tie their shoelaces.
Here are five ways occupational therapy can support your child/loved one and give you simple strategies to apply at home:
1. Improve Sensory Processing
Autistics do not prefer loud sounds, very bright lights, or even foods with certain textures. Occupational therapists help by creating a "sensory diet," which is a schedule that includes activities that keep the child calm and attentive for most of the day.
Tip at Home: If you haven't done so, create a 'safe space' in your home with pillows, blankets, headphones, or anything your child likes to do for relaxation, such as reading or coloring. This is where you want your child to go when they feel overwhelmed so that they can calm themselves down.
2. Build Fine Motor Skills
Motions such as writing with a pencil, fastening clothes, or even using scissors pose challenges to children with autism. OT sessions involve developing these practical fine motor skills for writing, dressing, and other activities.
Tip at Home: Incorporate fine motor activities into your daily routine in the home environment. For instance, allow your child to play with playdough, puzzles, or even something as basic as zipping and unzipping their jacket. The more practice, the more confident they will be!
3. Encourage Independent Living Skills
OT also encourages independent living skills. These can include learning to put on clothes, brush, or even feed themselves simple meals. Occupational therapists divide these tasks into smaller parts to make learning easier.
Tip at Home: Establish a basic morning schedule that your child can follow independently. For example, Arrange their clothing in the order they should wear or use a picture sequence showing how to brush their teeth. In the long run, your child will begin to perform these tasks independently.
4. Support Play and Social Skills
Play is one of the most significant components of children's learning about their environment. Autistic children may not naturally know how to play with peers or use their imagination, but play is an important aspect of children's development. Occupational therapists focus on creating social play to enable children to share, play in turns, and even communicate.
Tip At Home: Schedule brief, highly prescribed play sessions in which your child is accompanied by another child (if possible) and led through playing. Parallel or peer play may work depending on your child's preference. Examples include: constructing with blocks, painting, reading a book, solving a puzzle, dancing to preferred music, etc.--these are some things you could help them with, again supportive of preferences.
5. Reduce Sensory Overload
Autistic children are usually picky (or specific) about things that neurotypicals generally ignore, such as the sound of fluorescent light or the feel of certain clothes. OT can assist children with these sensitivities by explaining the issue to a parent or caregiver and enabling an environment affirming an autistic child's preferences.
Tip at Home: Limit the light by turning the house lights off and using only warm light bulbs or even a small night lamp in rooms where your child plays. You could also bring noise-reducing headphones if you're in noisy places so your child feels comfortable. Affirmative of his preferences and identity, we created a space that addresses his sensory preferences at home. We adjust when out and about, again calibrating our strategies to his preferences.
Occupational therapy is a practical way to help autistic children navigate their world more easily. Since OT addresses sensory processing, fine motor skills, independent living skills, and social play, it offers daily usable interventions for children and their families.
Wherever you are on this journey, you're not alone. Start with these tips at home. For professional support, the One Autism Health app provides a list of occupational therapists near you, simplifies care assistance, and supports you with your journey.
*results may vary, seek a professional for further guidance.
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