Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects everyone differently. However, people with ASD may require assistance with some similarities to maximise their capacity to live a full life. In all parts of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), including the development of customised plans, a customer-centric approach has been adopted. Occupational Therapy (OT) is one of the most common types of therapeutic support for people with ASD.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy (OT) is a type of therapy that focuses on a person’s functional abilities. This vast range of practise might involve everything from properly fitting a wheelchair to recognising safety hazards in a person’s home, as well as skill development across multiple domains.

Occupational therapists collaborate with their clients to ensure that their goals and values are prioritised. This post will look at some of how an occupational therapist might help someone with ASD.

Fine and gross motor skills

Fine and gross motor skills might be a problem among children with ASD. For example, keeping balance when running or kicking a ball is a gross motor skill. On the other hand, fine motor skills include activities like writing and fastening small buttons on clothes.

An OT can help you develop these skills over time by designing activities that you can do with a family member or friend and with the help of the therapist or therapist’s assistant. These exercises can also benefit from additional assistance, such as a support worker.

The OT will monitor progress over time and adjust activities as needed. This can happen if the exercises could be more efficient, if a new need has been found, or if the person’s skill level has improved. One of the ways an OT may ensure the greatest outcome for a person with ASD is to adapt exercises over time.

Assessing Assistive Technology

In NDIS words, assistive technology (AT) is equipment that helps someone perform tasks they couldn’t do on their own, allowing them to be more independent at home or in the community. ATs come in a wide variety of forms, ranging from wheelchairs to special spoons that allow someone to feed oneself.

An OT can examine a person and their surroundings before making AT suggestions to the NDIS for possible funding. Then, depending on the person’s demands, AT could play a variety of roles for someone with ASD. For example:

• Software that helps people communicate or learn new languages.
• Visual aids for communication.
• Adapted pencil grips to help with fine motor skills.
• Mobility aids in improving gross motor skills.
• Training in certain skills.

Compared to neurotypical people, the way a person with ASD learns and develops skills can be quite different. Furthermore, people with ASD, like neurotypical people, might suffer from anxiety, which impairs their capacity to reason under pressure.

Occupational therapists can assist by breaking down skills into manageable chunks and helping a person learn at their own speed. OTs can also employ novel approaches or an assistive technology (AT) to help individuals learn more effectively.

Report writing

One of an OT’s most significant responsibilities is to provide meaningful NDIS reports. Reports tell the NDIS what needs to be included in an NDIS participant’s plan and why particular support didn’t work. Reports might also point to new resources to help a person’s capacity and independence grow.

NDIS members can obtain a copy of these reports before the OT, or your Support Coordinator submits them.

Access the support and therapy you need to stay healthy with the best disability agency across Sydney.

Ebenezer’s team of Allied Health Professionals work with you to identify and assess issues and provide treatments to supports acquisition skills, recovery and reablement.

Various assessments are undertaken to identify areas where you’re experiencing difficulties and the appropriate therapies required.

Services available include:

• Physiotherapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech Therapy
• Dietetics
• Podiatry
• Psychology
• Art Therapy
• Music Therapy

Our disability agency directly connects you with clinicians, therapists and professionals. You can visit our Burwood or Rhodes centre, or we can arrange an in-home as well.

Choose Ebenezer Mission for Allied Health. Contact us today for a free consultation.