The Role of Occupational Therapy in Supporting Autistic People
In the UK, the demand for occupational therapy services for autism is on the rise, with the NHS and private practices both seeing an increase in referrals. The commitment to providing these services is also reflected in the government’s strategy for autism, which includes improving access to free assessments and post-assessment support, where occupational therapy plays a pivotal role. Every person on the autism spectrum has a distinct set of sensory needs that can vary according to their mood, surroundings and any therapeutic support and intervention they receive. The role of occupational therapists centres around developing, maintaining and supporting people’s needs and improving their everyday lives.
Everyone combines their senses (smell, sound, sight, balance, taste, and the sense of our body in space) to feel and experience their environment, but many autistic people face challenges with sensory overload. An occupational therapist targets each sense, supporting autistic people’s nervous systems to become more regulated and organised. This allows autistic adults and children to experience enhanced self-care (toilet needs, personal hygiene, eating a meal or dressing), emotional regulation, improved social interactions and increased participation in hobbies. Self-regulation strategies bring greater belonging for autistic people, majorly affecting their mental health and everyday life.
The most important role is identifying and assessing sensory processing differences. The essential areas occupational therapists support include developing fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social skills and daily living skills. The support that autistic children and adults receive from occupational therapists can profoundly impact their emotional well-being, enhance their daily performance, and improve attention and focus.
⇒ Read more about occupational therapy, its fundamental principles and its person-centric approach.
Common Occupational Therapy Strategies for Autism
The British Association of Occupational Therapies (BOAT) and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) provide specific standards to support and enhance the overall quality of life for autistic people. They stand for expert and professional occupational therapists. As ambassadors of promoting people’s well-being, they use some standardised practices. They promote the profession, set professional and educational standards, emphasise career development and continuing professional development, advocate for evidence-based practice, ensure safeguarding and ethical practice, adopt a holistic and person-centred approach, and regulate and accrediting educational programmes.
Occupational therapists gain valuable knowledge and enable people to benefit from their expertise by using occupational therapy strategies, such as:
Sensory Integration Strategies
Sensory integration therapy (SIT) is a therapeutic intervention and approach that helps autistic people manage sensory processing difficulties. The intervention improves sensory processing skills, self-regulation and participation in daily activities by providing controlled sensory experiences. The core principles and goals of sensory integration therapy are grounded in the following:
Improving Sensory Processing Skills (enhancing how the brain interprets and integrates sensory inputs from the environment)
Self-Regulation and Participation (support to develop more effective self-regulation skills, which are essential for managing emotions and behaviours)
Individualised Treatment Plans (therapy focuses on addressing particular sensory challenges and achieving personalised goals)
Sensory integration therapy employs a variety of techniques and activities to address sensory processing challenges:
Controlled Sensory Experiences: Sensory integration therapy utilises a structured approach to exposing people to different sensory experiences, including movement, tactile input, and deep pressure. These occupational therapy interventions may involve activities such as applying brushing techniques, performing joint compressions, administering deep pressure massages, or engaging in heavy work exercises like pushing or pulling weighted items.
Play-Based Activities: An occupational therapist frequently incorporates play and purposeful activities into their sessions to keep them engaging and motivating. They might involve swinging on a swing, bouncing on a trampoline, or tossing around weighted balls. Additionally, tactile experiences such as finger painting or playing with sand are often used to enhance the therapeutic experience.
Environmental Modifications: A fundamental approach to supporting sensory processing involves adapting to the environment. It might include designing sensory-friendly areas, introducing visual aids, or embedding sensory-rich activities into everyday routines.
Social Skills Development
Social skills development is a critical component of occupational therapy for autistic adults, young people and children. Social challenges are a hallmark of the autism spectrum and can significantly impact a person’s ability to participate fully in daily life.
The primary goals of social skills development in occupational therapy for autism include:
- Supporting emotional regulation by helping people manage emotions that may disrupt social interactions or cause distress
- Enhancing verbal and non-verbal communication abilities to improve social comprehension and exchanges
- Promoting active participation in social activities to build relationships and get involved with the community
- Strengthening social interaction skills to enable people to navigate various social situations more effectively
Leaf Complex Care‘s occupational therapists, supported by our multimedia specialists, use a range of techniques and activities to develop social skills:
Social Stories: Develop tailored narratives that depict various social scenarios and illustrate suitable behaviours to assist autistic people in understanding and guiding social norms.
Role-Playing: Rehearsing social interactions within a structured environment helps people get ready for real-world social situations.
Video Modeling: Demonstrating social behaviours through videos enables people to observe and then practise these interactions in a structured way.
Visual Supports: Employing visual aids, such as cue cards or schedules, can assist people in comprehending and following social routines.
In the following video, meet Benjamin Andrews, our Multimedia Specialist, as he reflects on his skills in Positive Behavioral Support (PBS) and multimedia support, developing and creating ways to support people’s journeys in care, such as through moving videos.
Developing Essential Self-care Skills
Occupational therapists start their work by evaluating people’s capabilities and difficulties. This evaluation provides a comprehensive analysis of physical, sensory, emotional, and cognitive skills, which allows therapists to establish tailored goals and create specific treatment plans. Occupational therapists create personalised interventions that cater to each person’s unique needs and abilities. The strategies emphasise a gradual approach to skill development, adapting them as the person advances in their capabilities.
Occupational therapists teach children essential self-care activities, such as feeding, dressing, bathing, and toilet training. Mastering these skills is crucial for overall well-being and managing daily life. To facilitate learning, OTs use a couple of strategies, including:
Task Analysis: This involves breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable components.
Chaining: In this method, individual steps are linked together to form a complete task.
Visual Supports: Visual aids are utilised to guide each step of the process.
Physical and Vocal Prompts: OTs provide physical guidance and verbal instructions to help people better execute each step.
⇒ At Leaf Complex Care, our occupational therapists use the PERMA model of well-being, which stands for fostering Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.
Motor Skills Development
Fine and gross motor skills are crucial in everyday activities, academic achievement, and social engagement. Occupational therapists begin their work with comprehensive assessments to address specific challenges and potential developmental delays in these areas. The evaluations focus on various aspects, including fine and gross motor skills, sensory processing, and motor planning capabilities. Following the assessment, occupational therapists create customised treatment plans and goals to meet each person’s unique needs.
Fine motor skills involve the precise movements of the hands and fingers, essential for activities such as writing, using cutlery, and handling small items. Occupational therapists implement various strategies to develop these skills:
Task Breakdown and Chaining: This method involves deconstructing complex activities into smaller, more manageable components, which are then sequentially linked to accomplish the entire task.
Creative Exercises: Activities that engage people, such as squeezing stress balls or moulding clay, strengthen hand muscles.
Hand-Eye Coordination Activities: Engaging in tasks like catching and throwing a ball, using pegboards, or aiming at targets helps to enhance coordination.
Arts and Crafts: Sparking creativity and also aid in improving hand control and precision.
Adaptive Equipment: Providing tools such as pencil grips, modified cutlery, and specialised instruments can assist with tasks like buttoning shirts or zipping up jackets.
Gross motor skills pertain to the ability to coordinate and control the body’s large muscle groups, enabling actions such as running, jumping, and maintaining balance. Occupational therapists prioritise enhancing these skills through several approaches:
Core Stability Exercises: Activities that establish a robust foundation for effective motor control and coordination.
Exercise Interventions: Tailored programmes enhance physical fitness, coordination, balance, and motor planning capabilities.
Motor Planning and Coordination Techniques: Strategies designed to tackle challenges associated with motor planning and coordination.
⇒ Read more on how occupational therapy helps people with Global Developmental Delay to live purposefully by doing what they love while having the right support in their homes and communities.
The Occupational Therapy Process for Autism
The process of occupational therapy for autistic people is multifaceted and personalised, aiming to address the unique sensory, cognitive, motor, and social challenges that can accompany the autism spectrum. The occupational therapy process typically unfolds in several key phases: thorough assessment and evaluation, the creation of a personalised treatment plan, the implementation of therapy sessions, and ongoing collaboration with families and caregivers. Each phase is critical to the success of the intervention and requires a nuanced understanding of autism and the person’s specific needs.
Assessment and Evaluation
The initial stage of the occupational therapy process for autistic people centres on an in-depth assessment and evaluation. During this phase, occupational therapists conduct thorough evaluations to gain insights into the person’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social skills. It pinpoints particular challenges and opportunities for growth, along with understanding how these difficulties affect daily living and engagement in meaningful activities. The data collected during this stage is vital for creating a tailored treatment plan that meets the unique needs of each person.
Personalised Treatment Plan
Occupational therapists create treatment plans that are specifically tailored to the person, drawing upon the results of comprehensive assessments. Each plan sets forth distinct goals and objectives, while also pinpointing suitable interventions to tackle the identified challenges and improve functional skills. The treatment strategies may involve therapeutic exercises, adaptive methods, modifications to the environment, and the incorporation of assistive devices. Adopting this personalised approach, therapists ensure the interventions are relevant and enhance the person’s overall quality of life.
Therapy Sessions
In therapy sessions, occupational therapists work to support people in acquiring or rehabilitating vital skills essential for leading an independent life. This process often encompasses teaching methods to enhance motor skills, coordination, balance, cognitive functions, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. Practising everyday tasks, such as dressing, cooking, and other activities, is a key component of these sessions to boost self-confidence. Furthermore, therapists may suggest and offer guidance on utilising adaptive equipment and assistive technology to support participation in daily life.
Collaboration of Therapists with Families and Caregivers
Working closely with families and caregivers is essential to the occupational therapy process. Occupational therapists provide education and training to people, their families, and caregivers, equipping them with strategies that help sustain the progress made during therapy. The strategies involve energy conservation, stress management, injury prevention, and adaptive techniques to enhance functional outcomes. By engaging with families and caregivers, therapists facilitate the reinforcement of therapeutic strategies in the home, thereby fostering a supportive setting for ongoing development.
⇒ Read more about how important it is for people to be actively involved in decision-making.
Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Autistic People
Occupational therapy for autistic people focuses on assessing their current developmental stages and enhancing their capacity to manage emotions, daily life and social situations. By employing targeted interventions, an occupational therapist supports autistic children and adults in building strength and overcoming challenges and perceived limitations in their day-to-day functioning.
For artistic people, occupational therapy can bring numerous benefits, including:
Improving emotional regulation
Enhancing problem-solving abilities
Building cooperation skills
Practicing and implementing communication skills
Improving fine and gross motor skills
Improving essential skills for daily living (practical and helpful)
Nurturing healthy relationships
OT with Leaf Complex Care's In-house Therapy Team
At Leaf Complex Care, our in-house occupational therapy team is an integral part of the holistic care and support we provide. Our team of skilled occupational therapists focus on supporting people to engage in meaningful activities and daily tasks that promote improved well-being and enhance their quality of life. We aim to address sensory, physical, emotional, and cognitive needs through personalised interventions, creating supportive environments that encourage positive outcomes.
Our occupational therapists are experienced in working with autistic children and adults. They assess each person’s strengths, preferences, and unique challenges to design individualised support plans that promote skill development and foster participation in everyday activities. These plans may include strategies to develop fine and gross motor skills, enhance self-care capabilities, or support sensory processing, making it easier for people to adapt to their surroundings comfortably.
Collaborative Approach
Leaf Complex Care’s specialists are committed to working closely with families, caregivers, and other professionals involved in supporting autistic people. We offer guidance to families and support teams to ensure consistent implementation of strategies across different settings and actively involve care recipients in decision-making. This collaborative approach strengthens the support network and empowers everyone involved to contribute positively to the person’s progress and overall development.
Discover the expertise of our occupational therapist, Ophelia Xerri, and learn more about her dedication to making a real and lasting impact.
Holistic Support
Occupational therapy at Leaf Complex Care is about developing daily living skills and ensuring people can participate in meaningful and enjoyable activities. From leisure activities like music and creative arts to physical exercise and social interactions, our therapists create opportunities for people to explore their interests, build social connections, and enhance their emotional well-being.
Discover more about Mitch’s care journey and see how embracing positive risk-taking helped him improve his quality of life and reduce behaviours of concern.
Feel free to reach out to us to support you in the best way possible.
Our offices are placed in Bristol, South East, Birmingham and Somerset.
