By: Bennet Science

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifetime developmental disorder, typically developed in early childhood years. According to the CDC, one in 54 children is diagnosed with ASD.

Symptoms include:

• Fidgeting
• Sensitive to lights, textures, or sounds
• Delayed Speech & Language
• No Interaction With Peers

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy is a field of healthcare treating patients who want to return to meaningful activities, or occupations, but can not because of illness or disability. They assess a client’s abilities and collaborate with a client to develop reasonable goals for sessions. Based on this, they make an intervention plan to help the client achieve their goal. These Occupational Therapists (OTs) can help a child with ASD to achieve goals set by the parents.

OT practitioners typically assist a child with:

• Attention
• Social Skills
• Organization
• Manipulating an Object
• Transitions between Activities

Benefits of OT for Autism

After a full OT intervention plan, a child with ASD will be able to gain independence. For instance, the child will be able to:

• Concentrate in School
• Play and Share with Peers
• Express More Emotions
• Reduce Self Stress
• Transition between Tasks or Classes
• Communicate with improved Speech
• Grasp more objects/textures
• Participate and Pay Attention

Fiction

There are many supposed cures to Autism, however, some of these treatment options are entirely fictional. In fact, there are no permanent treatments since Autism is a lifelong disorder. There are various fake cures that can be spotted if the treatment uses personal stories rather than medical facts or even claims to fully help someone recover from ASD. Some of these fake cures include:

• Special Diets
• Special Vitamins or Minerals
• Overdose of Medicine
• Bleaching

Fact

By: Thomas Galvez

Although there are many fake treatment options, Occupational Therapy is proven to help children with ASD based on Evidence-Based Research. It focuses on sensory integration and other sensory-based strategies backed up by Dr. Jean Ayres. According to the AOTA, occupational therapy can help with prompting to improve behavior. It also helps infants improve their cognition, the process of acquiring knowledge or understanding based on thought or experience. Occupational therapy can undoubtedly significantly help a child with ASD, especially when used in conjunction with speech and behavioral therapy.

References

A Guide to Occupational Therapy for Autism | USAHS

https://www.aota.org/About-Occupational-Therapy/Professionals/EBP.aspx

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html