Occupational therapy for the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

According to World Federation of Occupational Therapy, occupational therapy is as a profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by enabling people to do things that will enhance their ability to participate or by modifying the environment to better support participation.
The aim of occupational therapist is to increase the persons as much as possible. Occupational Therapist provide following treatment for autism :
 Self help skills training (dressing, feeding, brushing, toileting etc.)
 Increase attention skills 
 Increase communication
 Facilitate play activities that instruct as well as aid a child in interacting and communicating with others
 Sensory integration therapy
 Behavioural modification
 Develop adaptive techniques and strategies to get around apparent disabilities (for example, teaching keyboarding when handwriting is simply impossible; selecting a weighted vest to enhance focus etc.)

The write-up is compiled by Rabeya Ferdous, an Occupational Therapist. E-mail: rabeya1988@gmail.com