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Is Occupational Therapy Helpful For Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterised by a lack of social skills, repetitive behaviour, limited thinking, and many other problems. It is a kind of intellectual disability that is usually diagnosed early in the age group from 2-4 years. This intellectual disability affects the routine life of the individual and has a long-term impact on how the person functions in their daily life. However, early diagnoses and proper coping mechanisms can help the affected person control their symptoms and have an ordinary everyday life. There are many different therapies that are used to help children with autism develop mechanisms to manage their condition, but in this blog, we are going to explore how occupational therapy affects autism.

EnableU is working as an NDIS service provider in Sydney; we have a team of professional support workers who are trained to serve the participants with utmost dedication and compassion.

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is an allied healthcare field that treats people who have encountered an injury or have a developmental disability like autism. This therapy requires the therapist to help the patients develop and maintain their ability to perform daily activities, including communicating properly with others.   

Occupational therapists engage directly with the patients by communicating with the family and the person to understand the person’s individual needs. They do a thorough assessment of the person’s physical, mental, and behavioural needs to make an effective and detailed treatment plan. After a plan is created, the OT works with the patients and has multiple sessions to help them move toward their goals and check their progress along the way.

How Do Occupational Therapists Evaluate ASD?

Evaluation of the condition is extremely important before making any treatment plan. OT can only make an effective plan after diagnosing the needs and state of the participant. They use several screening tools to evaluate the patients, like an autism checklist, a sensory profile, or diagnostic criteria. While assessing the patient, the OT will observe their communication skills, social skills, senses, attention span, posture, balance, body language, and many more things. After the evaluation is done, the OT makes a treatment plan along with the family of the patient to come up with effective goals and coping techniques for the participant.

Benefits Of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy provides many benefits to the participants, but here are some of the common benefits that OT has.
 
  • Increases focus on academic tasks.
  • It helps in maintaining good relationships with others.
  • Express emotions in a healthy way.
  • Better communication.
  • Improved understanding of the environment.
  • Become more independent.
  • Reduce anxiety

How To Find An Occupational Therapist?

Finding the right occupational therapist can be challenging, especially if you are new to NDIS and don’t know how things work. NDIS allows you to hire a service provider to help you understand your NDIS plan. These service providers are professionals registered under NDIS who are able to help you find the right support. Their job is to help you connect with the support you need to achieve your goals. You can hire an NDIS service provider in Sydney and let them help you find the right OT. They have connections with different healthcare professionals and can find you someone who is appropriate for your needs. You can also contact your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) and ask about nearby occupational therapists.

Conclusion

The main goal of occupational therapy is to improve the quality of life of the participants. It is used for many different supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and is helpful for autism in many ways.   

If you are looking for an NDIS service provider in Sydney, EnableU can be the perfect partner for you. We are registered providers with experienced support workers ready to help you anytime. Contact us now and ask away your queries so we can get started with your NDIS plan.
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