Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) means that each person with it is different. But there are often similarities that people with ASD may need help with in order to live the best life they can. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is focused on the customer in every way you get the best ndis service providers Perth, including making plans that are unique to each person. Occupational therapy is one of the most common ways that people with ASD get help with their health (OT).
What is Occupational Therapy (OT)?
OT is a type of therapy that focuses on how well a person can do things. This wide range of work can include anything from making sure a wheelchair fits right to finding safety issues in someone’s home and even teaching skills in different areas. OTs work with their clients to make sure that their goals and values are the most important thing. This article will talk about some of the ways an occupational therapist (OT) can help a person with ASD.
Fine and gross motor skills
Children with ASD can have trouble with both their small and large motor skills. Gross motor skills could be things like running or kicking a ball while keeping your balance. Fine motor skills, on the other hand, are used for things like writing and putting on small buttons on clothes.
An OT can help build these skills over time with custom exercises that can be done with a family member or friend, as well as with the therapist or the therapist’s help. A support worker or other extra help can also help with these exercises. Over time, the OT will keep an eye on how things are going and can change the activities as needed. This could happen if the exercises could be better, if a new need has been found, or if the person has gotten better at them. An OT can help a person with ASD get the most out of their exercises by changing them over time.
Taking a look at assistive technology
Assistive Technology (AT), in the language of the NDIS, is equipment that helps a person do things they usually can’t do on their own. This helps them be as independent as possible at home and in the community. ATs come in many forms, from wheelchairs to spoons that help people feed themselves.
An OT can look at a person and their environment and make suggestions for AT that can be sent to the NDIS for funding. AT could help a person with ASD in a lot of different ways, depending on what the person needs. For instance:
Software to help people talk to each other or learn a language
Visual aids to help people talk
Pencil grips were changed to help with fine motor skills.
Aids for mobility to improve gross motor skills
Skill training
How a person with ASD learns and gets better at things can be different from how a neurotypical person does it. Also, people with ASD, just like people without ASD, can have anxiety that makes it hard for them to think clearly when they are under stress. Due to the effects on mental health, anxiety can also make someone not want to try something at all, either before or after the event.
OTs can help by breaking skills down in a way that is easy to understand and by helping a person learn at a good pace. OTs can also try new things or use assistive technology (AT) to help people learn better.
Writing a report
One of the most important things an OT does is give the NDIS useful reports. Reports tell the NDIS what an NDIS participant needs in their next plan and why certain support didn’t work. Reports can also list new supports that could help a person become more capable and independent.
Participants in the NDIS can ask for a copy of these reports before the OT or your Support Coordinator sends them in. It can be helpful to talk about the results of therapy with your OT and your Support Coordinator to get a clearer picture of a person’s life, challenges, and successes.