The importance of occupational therapy for children with autism

What is occupational therapy?

Over the years, occupational therapy, one healthcare profession, has become common in the mental health sector. Due to their compassionate nature and opportunities, many people take on such careers positively impact lives.

Occupational therapy is part of the health profession that involves the therapeutic use to solve the challenges that interfere with your ability to handle your everyday occupations and activities. Occupational therapy (OT) helps treat your mental, physical, and emotional ailments that typically affect your performance. Occupational therapy helps;

• Being productive – going to school, work, participating in the community
• Self-care – eating, dressing, moving around
• Leisure activities – gardening, sports, social activities

Occupational therapist (OT)

Occupational therapists are allied health professionals strictly handling occupational therapy services, often called OT. Better Rehab OT’s are well-educated health professionals to better your daily living skills. These university graduates apply their expertise, knowledge, and skills to recommend preventive measures to help you manage a more satisfying and productive life. In addition, our OTs can understand the physical and medical limitations of injuries and disabilities and the psycho-social factors that influence the functioning of the entire human system.

Occupational therapist for autism

Occupational therapists are child psychologists’ best friends who focus on promoting, developing, and maintaining the necessary social skills a student may need to fit in a school setting and beyond. Better Rehab occupational therapist works actively and participates in the life of people with autism to help promote their learning skills, improve their self-confidence, develop their self-esteem, social interaction, and independence.

Better Rehab OT’s holistic approach plays an essential role in planning programs to treat behavioural changes. They focus on the social, sensory needs, cognitive abilities, and requirements of students.

Improves strength and endurance for various tasks

In cases where the autism spectrum is involved, OTs can help develop handwriting, daily living, and fine motor skills. Their main target is assessing and targeting the child’s sensory processing disorders, from gross motor skills to fine motor skills. It is a fundamental approach in helping remove the general barriers to learning and help the child become calmer and more focused.

An occupational therapist working with children who experience sensory processing disorders must have postgraduate training in sensory integration. Sensory integrations therapy is determined by whether the child is overstimulated or under-stimulated by the environment. Sensory integration therapy aims to enhance the brains’ ability to process sensory information to ensure the child functions better in their daily activities. Most OTs prescribe a sensory diet or lifestyle to the children.

What are the Benefits of Occupational Therapy for People with Autism?

Occupational therapy helps you restore your ability to perform your daily tasks as independently as possible. When you experience difficulty with basics or instrument ADLs, Occupational treatment will support the return to independent function and upgrade your daily living skills with the six benefits mentioned below.

Improves strength and endurance for various tasks

Exercise and endurance activities are every days in any therapy. However, what makes occupational therapy stand out is analyzing daily tasks’ manoeuvres or cognitive needs. OT creatively creates activities and exercises custom-designed to build upon your current abilities to enhance daily independence.

Improves individual independence

Improving your independence is one of the main reasons many people go for occupational therapy sessions. Everyone wants to take care of themselves, so OT services are very beneficial. You want to complete basic tasks such as dressing, bathing, and going to the washroom with little or no assistance. Occupational therapy intervention is the only therapy that improves specific self-care everyday skills.

Improves visual skill

Impairment can occur due to diseases after injury or stroke. Such changes create blind spots in the field of vision. Visual impairment can affect your ability to read or walk confidently. Occupational therapy intervention plays an essential role in teaching optical adaptive techniques such as pre-reading and scanning strategies to enhance performance and general experience while reading or walking.

How to find the best occupational therapist for autism

It is an important decision to find and select a qualified occupational therapist capable of helping you, your autistic children, or your family in general. They differ in training, personality, and philosophy like all professionals. However, the best choice is an OT who works in line with the American Occupational Therapy Association, fits and understands your child and yourself better through therapy sessions, and is someone you know and connect to better. In addition, you will look for an OT who follows professional methods associated with effective treatment, such as;

• Who makes parent education an essential part of the treatment
• Offers intensive treatment
• Uses play and success
• Offers written goals for treatment
• Includes diagnostic evaluation
• Uses purposeful sensory simulation
• Listens to you
• Asks questions when necessary

The Better Rehab OTs have the necessary everyday skills to add the suitable filters and interventions that will target each sensory seeking system that will, in turn, help the child’s nervous system be more organized and regulated. In addition, occupational therapy services will assist the child with performance and attention.

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