Occupational therapy can be very beneficial in helping a child (or indeed an adult) with autism disorder to better cope with everyday tasks, school or work, and socializing in general.
Occupational therapists, like our practitioners at Sandbox Therapy Group, are experts in the social, emotional, and physiological effects of mental illness. This makes them perfect health professionals to promote skills for children with autism. But our therapists don’t work alone. They work closely with other professionals as well as the parents and teachers of autistic children to help set specific goals for the child that can include behavior, social interaction, and performance in the classroom.
There are two key ways that occupational therapists and occupational therapy can benefit children with autism. They are evaluation and therapy.
It is not always clear that children are on the autism spectrum. And, indeed, a therapy plan can’t be effectively created or implemented until a child has been correctly diagnosed. Diagnosis is something that we specialize in at Sandbox. Our team can observe children and see how they accomplish certain tasks and how much support they need to do so. This can include things like getting dressed or knowing how to play a game. In some cases, our therapists may ask that a child be filmed over a day so that they can better understand how the child reacts to their changing environments.
Once autism has been diagnosed and evaluated, our therapists can develop a bespoke program for your child. The aim of this program is to help your child respond better to their environment and develop skills that are necessary for an independent life.
The occupational therapy program developed by our therapists may include:
● Play activities that are designed to help with interaction, communication, and coordination
● Physical activities designed to help improve body awareness and general coordination
● Everyday activities such as getting dressed, having breakfast or brushing their teeth
Each of these activities should help your child improve their overall quality of life, whether they are at home or at school. Thanks to the program developed by our therapists, your child will learn to improve the necessary skills so that they can be as successful and independent as possible.
By following an occupational therapy program, your child may improve skills such as:
● Dressing and brushing their teeth
● Toilet training and other personal care skills
● Fine and gross motor skills
● Perceptive and attention-based skills
● Visual skills
● Social skills, including play and problem-solving.
As you can see, occupational therapy administered by a trained and trusted therapist can be hugely beneficial for your child with autism. Not only can it help you to better understand your child, but it can also significantly increase their quality of life by improving key and fundamental skills.
For more information on occupational therapy or to discuss how our team can diagnose your child, please don’t hesitate to book an initial consultation.