The overall goal of occupational therapy is to help the person with autism improve his or her quality of life at home and in school. The therapist helps introduce, maintain, and improve skills so that people with autism can be as independent as possible.
These are some of the skills occupational therapy may foster:
- Daily living skills, such as toilet training, dressing, brushing teeth, and other grooming skills
- Fine motor skills required for holding objects while handwriting or cutting with scissors
- Gross motor skills used for walking, climbing stairs, or riding a bike
- Sitting, posture, or perceptual skills, such as telling the differences between colors, shapes, and sizes
- Awareness of his or her body and its relation to others
- Visual skills for reading and writing
- Play, coping, self-help, problem solving, communication, and social skills