Occupational therapy (OT) helps people work on cognitive, physical, social, and motor skills. For people with autism, OT programs often focus on play skills, learning strategies, and self-care.Occupational therapy helps people across the lifespan to master the skills that help children develop, recover and maintain daily living skills and also to improve thinking and reasoning. OT strategies can also help to manage sensory issues. Occupational therapists provide services to children, families, caregivers, and educational staff within a variety of programs and settings. Regardless of where the evaluation and intervention services are provided, the ultimate outcome is to enable the child to participate in activities of daily living, education, work, play, leisure, and social interactions.
Occupational therapy usually involves half-hour to one-hour sessions. The number of sessions per week is based on individual needs. The person with autism may also practice these strategies and skills outside of therapy sessions at home and in other settings including school. Some OTs are specifically trained to address feeding and swallowing challenges in people with autism. They can evaluate the particular issue a person is dealing with and provide treatment plans for improving feeding-related challenges.
