Autism Spectrum Disorder And Occupational Therapy

Many treatment approaches have developed different ways of dealing with the challenges of autism. First, there is the theory of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which consists of giving a child a specific task, which teaches skills from basic ones to more complex ones, such as social interaction. Children taking this approach, work 30-40 hours a week with a trained professional. (West 66) It may be emotionally difficult for the child, and his/her parents to dedicate so much time, yet it is worth it. However, it has been proven that ABA methods have shown consistent results in teaching new skills and behaviors to children with autism. (West 68)

However, the occupational therapy has the best results among the rest of therapies, which determine its choice in the great number of cases. The main sense of the given way of treatment lies in the engagement of a patient in everyday living with the help of various occupations ("Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Autism" para. 4). These occupations may vary, starting with some simple sort of activity when a patient is asked to perform some primitive actions, and ending with some complicated tasks which demand the great level of motor and mental

Many of us have heard about Autism, also knows as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Some have a family member, a friend, or know someone who has ASD. Increasingly it is becoming a more common disability. “Autism is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the U.S” (Autism Speaks). Autism has no respect for gender, race, social class and or ethnicity. “Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that involves abnormal development and function of the brain.” (Autism Center of Excellence) People who have autism have a lot of difficulties with social skills, communication and also will develop behavior issues. These behavior problems of an individual with autism can vary at times and can go from mild to severe. According to the Autism Science Foundation it says,” Many people with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) also have unusual ways of learning, paying attention, and reacting to different sensations. The thinking and learning abilities of people with ASD can vary—from gifted to severely challenged.” The causes and symptoms, as well as the diagnosis, and the treatments of autism vary.

Occupational therapists help children make of sensory experiences involving sights, smells, touch, sounds, tastes and movement. Children with learning disabilities or autism may experience serious difficulties processing, understanding and reacting to sensory stimulation. The ability of these children to process sensory information may impacted by either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to stimulation. Many children who engage in problematic behaviors or anti-social tendencies may actually be experiencing difficulties processing and understanding sensory information and their environment. Occupational therapists use observation and data collection to create a plan that addresses and rectify specific behaviors.

This chapter reviews research collected that is related to the phenomenon of sensory processing disorder. The growing number of sensory processing deficits reported, as well as the frequency in which therapists use sensory based interventions requires a more complete understanding of the intricacies of evidence supporting the use of sensory based interventions. Each of the six studies reviewed in this chapter varies in rigor, design, and construct definition thus producing mixed results. The information is a microcosm of the current landscape of research related to sensory processing disorder.

Autism has become an increasingly important public health concern as the number of yearly diagnoses of the disorder has increased since the late 20th century. The National Institute of Health estimates that 1 in 88 children in the United States are classified as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) (NINDS, 2009), a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs children 's ability to learn and causes issues with social interaction and communication. Symptoms of ASD include delays in speech and language, issues with social interaction, and unusual behaviors/routines.

Over the years, more people are becoming aware of Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD. The growing number of individuals who are affected by ASD have been increasing over the years. This could be do to the new DSM development of what is considered ASD or simply more children are being born with ASD. Either way, ASD is more predominate in our society today. ASD is defined in the DSM 5 as having abnormal social aspects, lack of social skills, non-verbal communications skills, deficits in development, lack of understanding of relationships, and self-stimulation through repetitive behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Although these are not all of the symptoms caused by ASD

Autism is a developmental disability that appears in children during their first three years of life. Autism affects the development of social and communication skills. This paper will discuss autism and the role that Occupational Therapist play in treating autism, and why this topic interests me.

Autism is a development disorder. It affects mostly brain function and social skills. There any many names for autism but the medical term for it is autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Occupational therapy focuses on practicing the activities of everyday living, education, play and etc. There are also ways to determined on what more to focus on for the person’s needs and goals. When providing services to someone with ASD occupational therapist have to do an evaluation, an intervention, and measure the outcomes of sessions to see if they are succeeding.

Occupational Therapy in children with mental disabilities is growing every year. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 13 percent of children ages 8 to 15 had a diagnosable mental disorder and the most common is attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Any Disorder Among Children ,n .d.).Also, children with autism spectrum disorder percent have increased its ratio, 1 of 62 children which is approximately 200,000 cases per year(Any Disorder Among Children,n .d.). Occupational Therapy practitioner impacts the ability to engage in daily life activities and help those children to develop the skills needed to be independent in their future. The Model of Human Occupational Therapy (MOHO) is a model based on client centered

There is an ample amount of positive outcomes supporting the use of SI interventions in documented case studies, single subject experiments, and other less rigorous research, but there is still a lack of rigorous research that supports the efficacy of SI interventions. This lack of supporting evidence could be attributed to the diverse symptomatology of ASD, which makes it is extremely difficult to design a rigorous research proposal that is generalizable with strong psychometric data supporting the proposal. Filling this gap in research around the use of SI interventions in practice could facilitate the growth of the occupational therapy field by validating the SI interventions, which occupational therapists are most qualified to implement,

To address the perpetual need for widespread public awareness and core education on various Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), it is important to provide the normally-born people with training and education to help them support individuals born with an ASD and how not to treat them.

The term autism spectrum disorders derive various definitions depending on the type of professional is questioned. A medical definition of autism spectrum disorders provided by the Mayo Clinic in 2014 states, “an autism spectrum disorder is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a child 's ability to communicate and interact with others. It also includes restricted repetitive behaviors, interests and activities. These issues cause significant impairment in social, occupational and other areas of functioning.” This is not the definition that will be referenced in this paper. The definition that is applicable to this paper is the educational definition, mandated by federal law to be used in public schools. The educational definition of autism spectrum disorders according to the book Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education by Hallahan, Kauffman, and Pullen is “a disability wherein symptom fall on a continuum from relatively mild to severe; DSM-5 divides them into two general domains: ‘social communication impairment’ and ‘repetitive restricted behaviors.’” A

Many people can agree that working with children is rewarding. And yet, sometimes the education system tends to be overlooked for those with a disadvantage. Unfortunately, according to one source “Up to 15% of school-age children are believed to have sensory challenges, and at least 40% of individuals with developmental disabilities and 80% of those with autism are affected” (Research opportunities, 2014, p. 244). With that being said, some schools or Occupational therapy school-based consultation (OTSBC), have incorporated Occupational therapy in their facilities to help their students develop and succeed in life. This is great news for children with disabilities whether it be a sensory processing disorder (SPD), birth defect or a physical/mental

Several types of therapy are also offered to children with ASD. Occupational Therapy (OT), Speech Therapy (ST), and Sensory Integration Therapy (SI) are three of the most used therapies by Autistic children. Occupational Therapy is the use of treatments to develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills of people with a physical, mental or developmental condition (“Treatments”). Dr. Cathy Pratt, the director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, said, “Children with autism need to be taught how to play and how to act in a social situation” (Landau 51). Occupational Therapy also integrates Speech Therapy in order to help the children learn how to communicate in certain situations. Speech Therapy trains people who have trouble speaking or have speech impediments to speak or communicate