Research summaries for autism therapy: occupational therapy (OT)

definition of occupational therapy (OT): Type of therapy that focuses on helping people with autism learn functional physical skills that involve using their muscles. These skills may include writing, riding a bike, or catching a ball. Occupational therapists may also provide sensory integration therapy to children with autism and/or sensory integration disorder.
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New Developments in Autism, Summarized Apr 10, 2009

Physicians may be able to best help a child with autism by working with the family to provide support and advice. This review article was designed to provide doctors with basic information on autism. Early interventions seem to work, likely because of the ability of the young brain to grow and change. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is one of the most studied treatments for autism and can often help the child gain skills required to function. Occupational therapy (OT) can be useful because it helps with the child's unique sensory integration needs. Drug therapy does not target the core symptoms of autism, but medications can help with symptoms that may be found with autism and that may disturb the lives of children and their families.

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The Effects of Weighted Vests on Appropriate In-Seat Behaviors of Elementary-Age Students with Autism and Severe to Profound Intellectual Disabilities, Summarized Mar 31, 2009

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy may be more helpful than weighted vests in keeping children with autism calm and in their seats.

Sensory therapies are one common occupational therapy approach to the treatment of autism. The study was designed to see if the use of weighted vests during a group activity would increase the amount of time that three school-aged children with autism would stay in their seats. The children were all diagnosed as having autism by three different people using different diagnostic tools. The deep pressure of the weighted vests did not help the children in this study remain calm, focused, and in their seats. The authors call for more research to see if these sensory integration therapies are able to help children in the classroom. Read more...

Listening to Parents: Understanding the Impact of Autism on Families, Summarized Mar 19, 2009

Every family has the right to choose the therapy program that best suits the needs of the child with autism and the family.

This is a group of three essays that describe the impact of autism on three families. The first parent relied on psychotherapy for her child and herself. The second parent used occupational therapy (OT), speech therapy, and physical therapy. The third parent used Floortime therapy. In the best of worlds, a therapy program respects the choice of the family, builds on family strengths, and partners with parents. Read more...

Acquisition of Internal Models of Motor Tasks in Children with Autism, Summarized Jan 1, 2009

Children with autism may be able to best learn new motor tasks if they are shown and described to them clearly.

This study looked at children with autism to see if they could change their motor output in response to a changes around them. The study had three tasks: two tasks that involved reaching with a robot arm; and one task that was performed with prism glasses. Scientists believe that a part of the brain called the cerebellum should be used adapt motor output to novel tools such as robot arms and prism glasses. The authors were surprised to find that children with autism were able to adapt to the tasks. These results suggest that children with autism are able to acquire an internal model of movement. Read more...

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Synonyms for occupational therapy (OT) include: occupation therapy, occupational, occupational therapist, occupational therapy, occupational training, OT
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