Occupational Therapy

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Occupational Therapy (OT) is an intervention that is child-centered and is designed to help a child build on areas of strength and improve skills in areas of weakness.  Often times a therapy session looks like a lot of play.  Occupational therapists take in account the physical, social, emotional, sensory, and cognitive abilities and needs.  ASD kids are slower to integrate imputs coming in from their senses which makes their processing speed a lot slower.  

Occupational Therapy work on the following intervention areas:

• Fine Motor Skills - development of small muscles needed for fingers to pick up small items, handwriting, getting dressed.
• Visual Motor Integration - hand-eye coordination, such as picking up small pieces of food from the plate and getting it to the mouth.
• Gross Motor Coordination/Postural Stability - walking, standing, running, gross play skills
• Cognition and Perception - thinking and problem solving, such as trying to figure out how to get a toy out of a box.
• Sensory Processing - integrating information coming in from the different senses, such as adjusting your walk from a hard surface to sand.
• Environmental Modifications/Adaptive Equipment/Technology - modifying the environment so a child can "do" the "work", such as sliding a special pencil grip onto the pencil to it can be held securely for writing. 

OT can also help a child stimulate their Central Nervous System during activities as well as demand the brain and body to work together while the child is "playing".  Heaving lifting and deep pressure also help the child stay calm and increases the ability for self-regulation.  Children do better when they are approached in a fun way.  Kids during an OT session could build with blocks, color, play games, do puzzles, practice dressing themselves, draw, cut and glue and many other things that help the child without them really noticing because it's fun!

Jaxon has been going to OT since he was 2.  Since then he has improved so much!  I remember one day he just starting drawing and writing.  He used to hate it and then poof!  After that took off so did cutting things out.  Now drawing is his favorite thing to do and it shows his personality when he writes "books".  He has gotten over his aversion to paint and shaving cream on his fingers, and now he really enjoys it.  He also has gotten over his hatred of vibrating animals and objects.

When Jaxon is in OT he enjoys swinging.  It helps calm him.  He also enjoys jumping and doing puzzles.  I've included some pictures of him in an OT session.  Jaxon can go to Occupational Therapy well into adulthood if needed.  As long as he keeps improving I couldn't imagine a time where he wouldn't have OT because there is always progress to be made.