Renee Said:

How does occupational therapy benifit autistic children?

We Answered:

Occupational therapy can help children with autism in several ways:

educating parents about setting up the child's environment and daily schedule to help the child remain regulated and successful

directly treating the child to develop social skills and replace stereotypical behavior with functional play skills

occupational therapists with additional training or certification in sensory integration treatment may address any sensory concerns

educating teachers and others about environmental support and social interaction and sensory strategies

You can check out http://www.aota.org/Consumers/FactSheets… for more information

Manuel Said:

Does occupational therapy helps adhd children focus more?

We Answered:

The short answer is yes.

But, the question you should be asking is HOW an occupational therapist can help a child? You see, there is a therapy technique called "Sensory Integration" and it can be very helpful for students with ADHD to help them focus. The idea behind the theory is that children with ADHD have either over-reactive or under-reactive sensory systems. An occupational therapist can help you discover what sensations are calming for the child and what sensations may be alerting. The trick is finding out what makes each student function at his/her best. Some students need to take periodic movement breaks throughout the day. Others function very well if they are simply allowed to chew gum in class. It is different for everyone, and it is something you should definitely look into if you want to help a child with ADHD to focus more.

Good luck. I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

Bernard Said:

What should a child be doing in occupational therapy?

We Answered:

When the OT has him do things like puzzles, coloring , building blocks, cutting with scissors, stringing beads, buttoning, etc. that is to help develop their fine motor skills. It depends on what areas your son has delays in as to what exercises the OT will do with him. My son has delays in fine motor skills so she does all of those plus more to help him develop those skills, she also helps him with everyday things like getting dressed/undressed..putting on/taking off shoes, etc.. my son also has sensory integration disorder so she also has him work with things like jello, shaving cream, feathers, taking off his shoes/socks and walking on various textures, crawl through tubes, swinging, etc. to help with his sensory issues. The OT should be making goals for your son depending on his needs, i.e. my son's OT makes 5 goals for 6 months to work on, some are for his fine motor skills and some are for his sensory issues.. after the 6 months he is given a review to help determine if he still needs work on certain areas or if new goals can be made, if he accomplishes a goal before the 6 months then a new one is added. When he has his review, she covers with me what goals he has succeeded in and what goals he still needs to work on but she also asks for my input as to what areas I have concerns in and any goals I may have for him or to add to one she already has.