Occupational Therapy and Autism Ranking:

Key Features

Occupational therapists help people of all ages to carry out everyday activities which are essential for health and wellbeing.

Occupational therapists may use a wide range of different interventions, techniques and tools. For example they may show individuals how to hold utensils  so that they can feed themselves, they may create games which help individuals to socialise with other people or they may teach  individuals to respond more appropriately to sensory information.

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (2009), occupational therapists may:

• “Provide interventions to help a child appropriately respond to information coming through the senses. Intervention may include developmental activities, sensory integration or sensory processing, and play activities.
• Facilitate play activities that instruct as well as aid a child in interacting and communicating with others.
• Devise strategies to help the individual transition from one setting to another, from one person to another, and from one life phase to another.
• Collaborate with the individual and family to identify safe methods of community mobility.
• Identify, develop, or adapt work or engagement in meaningful activities that enhance the individual's quality of life.”

Occupational therapists usually work as part of a multi-disciplinary team with other health care/education providers (such as speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, teachers and parents) to provide a package of care designed to meet the needs of the individual.

Treatment may take place in

• hospitals (both inpatients and outpatients)
• community health centres
• mainstream and special schools
• assessment units and day centres
• clients’ homes
• clients’ communities

Updated

17 Jun 2022

Last Review

01 Dec 2016

Next Review

01 Nov 2022