Autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are terms used to describe a group of disorder that affect the development of a child's brain. These disorders affect the child's ability to interact with others and affect communication skills both verbal and non-verbal. They are also characterized by repetitive behavior and may be associated with abnormally low IQ, attention, sleep and gastrointestinal disorders.
Disorders that come in the category of ASD include Rett syndrome, autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger syndrome-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and childhood disintegrative disorder.
While the roots of autism lie in the earliest stages of an infant's brain development, symptoms are usually apparent only after the second year.
Occupational therapy for children with autism helps them develop their social and communication skills, enabling them to improve their interactions with others and integrate better into society. It will help improve the child's skills at different activities, enabling him or her to take a greater interest in the activities and the world around them.
Occupational therapy treatment for autism involves the person afflicted by autism as well as the family, teachers and other professionals. They work together as a team under the direction of the occupational therapist who evaluates the child's progress and implements the therapy. In the beginning smaller goals are set. They help measure the progress of the child in developing social and other skills that will one day help him or her to function independently. The goals may involve behavior, interaction with others as well as performance in the classroom.
The benefits of occupational therapy for autism can only be observed after lengthy periods of time involving serious commitment and dedication on the parts of the family, therapist and other professionals. Progress is slow and often interrupted by setbacks, but will eventually benefit the individual in many ways.
To understand how occupational therapy can help an individual with autism, one needs to have a better understanding of how the therapist works.
The first step is to evaluate the child by observing their ability to perform tasks that are normal for children of their age. Activities such as playing games, putting on shoes, eating will all be observed, at times with the help of video recordings. Observing these activities will then give the therapist an idea about the child's attention span, hand –eye-foot coordination, ability to adjust to new activities, responses to different stimuli, and behavioral pattern. These observations will help the therapist diagnose the degree of disability and to devise a program that is best suited to the child's needs.
Occupational therapy will frequently combine two or more strategies.
The goal of these therapies is to enable the autistic individual to improve their living and coping skills so that they are less dependent on others. This improves the quality of their lives, making them more mentally, physically and emotionally self-sufficient.
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