Back to Basics: Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy?

If you've recently started your autism journey, you've probably heard the term Occupational Therapy, or OT, more than once.

Maybe someone recommended it after an evaluation.

Maybe it's listed on your child's IEP.

Or perhaps another parent mentioned how much it has helped their child.

If you've ever found yourself wondering,

"What exactly does an occupational therapist do?" you're not alone.

Let's break it down together.

Understanding Occupational Therapy

The word occupation doesn't just refer to a job.

In occupational therapy, an occupation is any meaningful activity that fills our day.

For children, those everyday activities include things like:

• Playing

• Learning

• Getting dressed

• Eating meals

• Brushing teeth

• Coloring and writing

• Using scissors

• Participating at school

• Playing with friends

• Becoming more independent

  
  

Occupational therapists help children develop the skills they need to participate in these everyday activities as successfully and independently as possible.

What Can an Occupational Therapist Help With?

Every child has different strengths and challenges, so occupational therapy looks different for every family.

Depending on your child's needs, an occupational therapist may help with:

• Fine motor skills

• Handwriting

• Holding pencils, crayons, or utensils

• Cutting with scissors

• Buttoning, zipping, or dressing independently

• Feeding skills

• Sensory processing

• Self-care routines

• Play skills

• Attention during activities

• Building independence in everyday tasks

  
  

Not every child will work on all of these skills, and that's perfectly okay.

Therapy goals are individualized based on each child's unique needs.

Why Does Occupational Therapy Sometimes Look Like Play?

One of the biggest surprises for many parents is that occupational therapy often looks like...play.

You might see children:

• Swinging

• Climbing

• Crawling through obstacle courses

• Playing games

• Building with blocks

• Using therapy putty

• Completing puzzles

• Coloring

• Creating crafts

  
  

While these activities may look like simple play, they're often carefully chosen to build important skills like coordination, strength, motor planning, attention, problem-solving, and independence.

For children, play is one of the most natural ways to learn.

Everyday Practice Matters

One of the wonderful things about occupational therapy is that many skills can be practiced during everyday routines at home.

Simple activities like:

• Helping stir ingredients while cooking

• Folding washcloths

• Coloring or drawing

• Building with blocks or LEGOs

• Stringing beads

• Playing with Play-Doh

• Practicing buttons or zippers

• Carrying groceries

• Setting the table

Can all help strengthen skills in meaningful ways.

Learning doesn't only happen during therapy sessions.

Everyday life provides opportunities to practice, learn, and grow.

Occupational Therapy Is Just One Part of the Team

Occupational therapy often works alongside other services such as speech therapy, ABA, physical therapy, counseling, and educational supports.

Each professional brings a different area of expertise, but everyone shares the same goal-helping your child reach their fullest potential.

Working together allows families and professionals to support children across many different areas of development.

Here's a Practical Place to Begin

Think about one everyday activity your child is already learning.

Maybe it's putting on shoes.

Using a spoon.

Coloring a picture.

Brushing their teeth.

Instead of trying to work on many new skills at once, choose one activity and practice it through short, encouraging moments throughout the week.

Progress often happens through consistency, patience, and celebrating small successes along the way.

Every child is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to autism support. As you continue learning, remember that progress often comes from observing your child, trying new strategies, working alongside your team, and discovering what works best for your family.

Learn • Observe • Support • Personalize • Collaborate • Stay Open-Minded

Back to Basics

Taking complex topics and breaking them into simple, practical steps for families.