Occupational Therapy for Autism

Gross/Fine Motor Skills and Sensory Processing Issues Addressed

Mar 24, 2008 Melissa Hincha-Ownby

Occupational therapists help individuals with an autism spectrum disorder improve both fine and gross motor skills plus address sensory processing concerns.

There are many different therapy options available to improve the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum. One of the most commonly used of these autism interventions is occupational therapy. While working with a registered and licensed occupational therapist (OTR/L) or a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA), children can increase their gross and fine motor skills and also help resolve major sensory processing difficulties.

Gross Motor Skills

Many individuals on the autism spectrum have delayed development of their gross motor skills. A child might present with an odd gait while running, an inability to ride a bike or trouble with a simple childhood game like kickball. When it comes to gross motor skills, occupational therapists typically work with children who are not severely delayed. For children who have more prominent problems with gross motor skills, they may find better results by working with a physical therapist.

Gross motor skills also tie in with fine motor skills. The ability for a person to feed himself with a spoon or fork starts with the gross motor skills to manipulate the arm muscles. Occupational therapists can work with children, through organized play, to help them improve their gross motor skills and thus improve their quality of life.

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor delays are also common among children on the autism spectrum. Some examples of areas in which a fine motor delay impacts a person are handwriting, dressing oneself, brushing one’s teeth and self-feeding. By improving a child’s fine motor skills, he will be able to dress himself, brush his own teeth and even feed himself. These sound like skills that children acquire naturally as they get older but in many cases these skills must be taught to children on the autism spectrum.

Sensory Processing Difficulties

A brief search of the internet leads readers to the conclusion that sensory processing difficulties are seen in a large majority of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. An occupational therapist who has specialized training in sensory integration can work wonders with a child who has to deal with sensory processing difficulties.

For the tactile defensive child, the occupational therapist may challenge him to experience new textures with his fingers, hands, arms and even feet. A mirror mounted to a wall and a can of shaving cream provides an opportunity for a child to work on his tactile defensive issues. An occupational therapist with sensory integration training understands that, for this child, touching the shaving cream is a huge step and the therapist will gently guide him to experience this new sensation. In time, other textures are added to help decrease the child’s tactile defensiveness. This is just one example of how an occupational therapist can help children with sensory processing disorder.

Occupational therapists can work with individuals of all ages and do much more than assist with gross and fine motor delays and sensory processing difficulties. These are just a few examples of how occupational therapy can benefit a person on the autism spectrum.

The copyright of the article Occupational Therapy for Autism in Autism/Asperger's Syndrome is owned by Melissa Hincha-Ownby. Permission to republish Occupational Therapy for Autism in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Playing Kickball is Hard for Some With Autism.