Occupational therapy for autism can help children and adults acquire important life skills, overcome challenges, and reach goals to enjoy a better quality of life and socio-emotional wellness. OT for autism is highly individualized and includes strategies like play-based therapy, modeling, and sensory integration activities.
Children and adults with autism can benefit from various interventions to improve daily interactions and enjoy a better quality of life. One profession that is involved in treating and supporting autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is occupational therapy (OT). OT can help people develop or improve the everyday skills they need to navigate the world, interact with others, and live a more fulfilling and productive life.
If you’re eager to pursue a career that will allow you to empower individuals living with autism and other types of disorders, you might consider becoming an occupational therapy assistant. St. Catherine University’s (St. Kate’s) Online Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program provides a pathway to pursue your Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in as few as 16 months. By the time you graduate, you’ll be ready to confidently sit for the OTA certification exam.
How Might Occupational Therapy Support Individuals with Autism
Occupational therapy (OT) can help us better understand how OT can support autism. OT's purpose is to enhance an individual’s ability to perform everyday activities. OT targets the skills people need to overcome or adapt to physical, social, and emotional challenges. OT is appropriate for those with physical disabilities or illnesses, mental health disorders, and neurodevelopmental deficits, such as ASD.
Occupational therapy is highly individualized. Not every client will experience the same functional problems, and not every client needs to work on the same set of skills. Even within the population diagnosed with ADK, not every client with ASD will have the same functional deficits, needs, and life goals as other clients with ASD. An OTA and occupational therapist can work with individuals with ASD to help them identify their needs and goals and then develop an OT treatment plan to help them meet those goals.
Explore the pathway to becoming an OTA and begin making plans for your career.
Key Areas Occupational Therapy Targets in Autism
ASD is a difference in how the brain functions. As a neurodevelopmental disorder, ASD can affect how individuals communicate and interact with others, behave, play, and work. These differences can manifest in various ways throughout the individual’s lifespan. Here are a few examples:
- Toddlers: They might prefer playing alone and might not respond when their name is called. They may refuse to eat foods with certain textures.
- School-aged children: They might prefer to discuss only a narrow, specialized range of topics and may show difficulty interpreting and using nonverbal communication cues (e.g., body language).
- Teenagers: They might have trouble understanding and using social rules and may have difficulty seeing things from others’ perspectives.
Some individuals with autism are entirely nonverbal and rely on augmented and alternative communication (AAC) devices to communicate. Others are verbal but have trouble with nonverbal communication and social cues. Still, other individuals with ASD prefer familiar routines and might get upset with a change in routine or have trouble transitioning from one task or activity to another.
ASD manifests in so many ways that it would be impossible to list them all here; whichever way it manifests, OT can help individuals:
- Acquire and practice using various social skills, such as playing or working in a group
- Lessen hypersensitivity to sensory input (e.g., certain textures, loud noises, or large crowds) and improve sensory processing abilities
- Improve motor planning control
- Learn or refine the various skills needed for activities of daily living, from handwriting to feeding and beyond
What Does an Occupational Therapist Do for Autism?
Occupational therapists and OTAs can help people living with autism enjoy a better quality of life and become productive members of society. Occupational therapy is not a cure for autism, as autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. Still, with OT and other interventions, individuals with autism can improve their functional abilities and reach their life goals.
Strategies and Techniques Used in OT for Autism
Occupational therapists and OTAs use a variety of strategies and techniques to help children and adults overcome various challenges associated with ASD. Some of these include:
- Adaptive equipment: An example is seating supports, which help some individuals better attend to tasks.
- Play-based therapy: Use of balls, trampolines, jump ropes, and other play equipment to build motor planning skills and tone. This also includes play-based activities that help children develop stronger socio-emotional skills, like turn-taking and collaborative play.
- Sensory integration: OTAs can introduce vestibular, proprioceptive, auditory, and tactile stimuli during play, such as silly putty, swings, trampolines, and beanbags.
- Modeling: A step-by-step demonstration of performing a skill, showing, and explaining how to do it; examples include grooming, putting on socks and shoes, shaking hands, and being introduced to someone.
The Role of Occupational Therapy in Early Intervention for Autism
Thanks to greater awareness of the signs of autism and more widespread screening, autism is often diagnosed relatively early in life. Although there are exceptions, it’s common for children with autism to develop typically up to about two years of age and then begin to regress in their developmental targets. ASD can be diagnosed even before a child reaches two years of age.
The sooner ASD is diagnosed, the sooner parents and caregivers can begin interventions for it. Early intervention—up to about three years of age—is crucial for giving children with autism the best possible start in life. This is because, at this very young age, a person’s brain is highly “plastic” or changeable, which means interventions like OT are more likely to be effective.
In addition, early intervention with modalities like occupational therapy helps children overcome various challenges before they reach their prime school years. By improving physical, cognitive, communication, and socio-emotional skills, children can enter kindergarten and elementary school ready to learn and make friends.
The Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Autism in Different Settings
You’re probably accustomed to visiting various providers’ offices to receive different services. For example, you might go to a primary care physician or a chiropractor. The same can be true of OT; however, occupational therapy for autism might also occur in different settings, such as school, the client’s home, and various points of interest throughout the community.
Why is meeting children or adults in their natural environment beneficial? This allows OTAs to observe how the client interacts with the natural environment, what they struggle with, what captures their interest, and so on. For instance, in a grocery store, an OTA might help individuals with ASD cope more effectively with crowds of people, loud noises, and bright lights. In school, OTAs might help children develop fine motor skills, social skills, and sensory processing abilities. In the home, OTAs might help individuals work on self-care routines.
What is pediatric occupational therapy, and how can it help? Learn about another exciting OTA specialty.
How St. Kate’s Prepares OTAs to Address ASD Challenges
If you’re excited by the world of possibilities in occupational therapy, St. Kate’s Online OTA Program can enable you to earn your AAS in OTA in as few as 16 months.
This hybrid program, consisting of online coursework and in-person learning experiences, focuses on OT across the lifespan, including in pediatric practice and for individuals of all ages with developmental issues like ASD. In the fieldwork portion of the curriculum, you’ll work directly with individuals experiencing a wide range of challenges under the watchful eye of an experienced OT practitioner.
Pursue a Meaningful Career in OT at St. Kate’s
Are you ready to pursue a career as an OTA specializing in working with individuals with autism? St. Kate’s is here to help. Our Online OTA Program is available in multiple states, including California, Minnesota, Virginia, and Texas. Plus, our favorable faculty-to-student ratio allows plenty of personalized attention designed to help you succeed.
Contact an admissions advisor today and learn how St. Kate’s can help you pursue a career working with clients with ASD.
