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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An Optometric Approach to Patients with Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Summarized Feb 4, 2008

Optometrists can work with occupational therapists, speech therapists, and pediatricians to help children overcome sensory integration disorder.

Between 80% and 90% of children with autism have sensory integration disorder. Children with autism also often have trouble understanding what they are seeing (visual perception integration). A type of glasses known as yoked prisms may help children with autism understand what they are seeing and move better. This study looked at two children with sensory integration disorder to see if optometry could help them. Special glasses were able to help the older child, but not the younger child. Read more...

Improving the Performance of a Young Child with Autism during Self-Care Tasks Using Embedded Song Interventions: A Case Study, Summarized Jan 22, 2008

Music therapists and occupational therapists can work together to help children with autism learn to perform self-care tasks.

It is good for children with autism and their parents when the children are able to do many of their own self-care tasks. This study was based on the idea that songs would be helpful in prompting a child with autism to perform multi-step self-care routines. The routines included hand washing, toileting, and cleaning up. The authors found that both song and lyric helped with all of the multi-step tasks. Children learned more, though, if the songs were sung more often. Read more...

Community Services Outcomes for Families and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Summarized Dec 19, 2007

Most families use between three and five different autism therapy services for their child.

This study was designed to see which therapies parents think help their children with autism. This study is different from most treatment studies, which focus on the effect of the treatment as measured by an observer. The study looked at nine types of common autism therapy services and found that parents liked in-home therapy and drug therapy best of all. Other therapy services included in the survey were: inpatient hospitalization, family training, individual therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, case management, and respite care. The survey included the parents of 113 children in Kentucky. Read more...

Immediate Effect of Ayres’s Sensory Integration-Based Occupational Therapy Intervention on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Summarized Nov 29, 2007

Sensory integration therapy does not seem to help children with autism attend to the task at hand.

When a child has bad behavior, he often has trouble focusing on the task at hand. This study was designed to see whether or not sensory integration therapy was better than play therapy in helping with the behavior of children with autism. The authors focused on the childrenâ??s behavior right after sensory integration therapy was over. They found no change in behavior right after sensory integration therapy. The authors suggest that occupational therapists look closely to see if sensory integration therapy is making a difference with the child.
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Showing 25-28 of 40 results

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