Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy (OT) is a treatment that helps children to improve their ability to perform daily tasks. It can help them to learn how to move through their environment or use different tools to participate in their activities safely.
The skills needed by students to be functional in a school setting and beyond would be promoted, maintained, and developed in the Occupational Therapy, such as:
Self-care (e.g. dressing, eating a meal, managing toileting needs and managing personal hygiene)
Productivity (e.g. emotional regulation, levels of alertness, participation, hand writing and organisational skills)
Leisure (e.g. socialising with friends, belonging to a group, participating in hobbies/play and motor skills for PE).
For autistic children, an occupational therapist works to develop skills for handwriting, fine motor skills and daily living skills. However, the most essential role is also to assess and target the child’s sensory processing differences. This is beneficial to remove barriers to learning and help the students become calmer and more focused.
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/occupation-therapy
The main goal of occupational therapy for autism is to improve a patient’s quality of life. Through interventions, an OT for autism can help people with ASD gain independence and:
Focus on academic tasks
Communicate appropriately
Maintain and foster relationships
Work with others to achieve a common goal or purpose
Learn to delay gratification
Express emotions in a healthy, productive way and manage self-regulation
Become more independent and confident
Feel less anxious