(Supporting Parents of Children, 2021)

Occupational therapy can help children with autism perform better in school and home environments. Children with autism usually receive occupational therapy in their schools as part of their educational program. Many also receive private occupational therapy, which may be covered by insurance or paid for independently. Often sensory-based, this active type of intervention focuses specifically on helping individuals integrate their sensory systems and initiate and sustain purposeful play. Therapy sessions always center on the individual, incorporate play, are interactive, and provide activities that require problem-solving.

(Kashefimehr, Kayihan, & Huri, 2018; Kingsley & Clark, 2020; Supporting Parents of Children, 2021)

Occupational therapists evaluate sensory, motor, cognitive, social, and communication skills of children and adults with autism that are related to their participation in everyday life activities. There is an emphasis placed on assessing sensory-motor, emotional regulation, social relationships, and self-advocacy skills with the aim of facilitating full inclusion within the community. Identifying strengths and abilities, as well as needs and challenges, is important in the evaluation process, as the characteristics across the spectrum of autism vary widely among individuals and across the lifespan. The results of the occupational therapy evaluation contribute to the development of an intervention plan and intervention goals in collaboration with the family and individual with autism with a focus on what they need and want to do. In providing interventions, priority is placed on individual self-determination and the right to choice and control to encourage the development of self-advocacy skills. Occupational Therapists use specific knowledge and skills based on the best available evidence to promote health, establish skills, maintain abilities, and modify barriers to participation.

Occupational therapy interventions include:

(Kashefimehr, Kayihan, & Huri, 2018; Kingsley & Clark, 2020)

• independent living skills training and modifications

• motor development and motor planning skill development

• sensory integration and sensory-based strategies

• positive mental health strategies

• social-emotional development and self-regulation strategies and programs

• behavioral approaches, in collaboration with team members to support participation

• peer group and peer-mediated strategies

(Bhandari, 2020)

Skills occupational therapy fosters:

• Daily living skills, such as toilet training, dressing, brushing teeth, and other grooming skills

• Fine motor skills needed for holding objects while handwriting or cutting with scissors

• Gross motor skills

• Sitting, posture, or perceptual skills, such as telling the differences between colors, shapes, and sizes

• Awareness of their body and its relation to others

• Visual skills for reading and writing

• Play, coping, self-help, problem-solving, communication, and social skills

By working on these skills during occupational therapy, an individual with autism may be able to:

• Develop peer and adult relationships

• Learn how to focus on tasks

• Learn how to delay gratification

• Express feelings in more appropriate ways

• Engage in play with peers

• Learn how to self-regulate