Category Archives: occupational therapy

Autism and Occupational Therapy

I wanted to share my latest interview. called The Power of Presuming Competence. This is a podcast specifically targeting occupational therapists but should have useful insights for other professionals, parents and anyone who is interested in an insider’s point-of-view autism.

Autism Cooks

ido_cooking_4I have written previously about my love of cooking. Cooking has given me a lot, and I’m not just referring to the food.

I have to remember instructions in recipes (multi-step planning, for all you OTs out there). I have ido_cooking_3to search for and retrieve ingredients, utensils and cooking tools. This is important for people who have autism.

I have to handle sharp objects and hot objects. I am aware of personal safety.

I have to control impulses and not eat unfinished food (especially cookie dough).

I have to work on fine motor skills in chopping, pouring and measuring.

I have to be patient, plan, anticipate and multi-task.

I have to be present while it cooks.

I learn self-help skills washing up.

All in all, it’s an “OT session”ido_cooking_2 I can have fun with since I’m actually doing something meaningful.

Bon Apetit!ido_cooking_1

Exercise and Autism

When I was a small boy I went to occupational therapy. They had me go on swings, hammer pegs, climb on ladders, and jump on trampolines. I remember one occupational therapist telling my mom that I had low muscle tone. In this case wouldn’t exercise, including weights, improve my muscle tone? We worked on my vestibular processing so I went from one swing to another instead of stretching, becoming more fit, or becoming more muscular. The result is that I was not fit enough, which is a problem in a mind/body communication deficit. Being fit enables me to tell my responsive body what to do. I work out with a trainer now because I need to have my body learn to be responsive. Now I see where my problems lie. My soft muscle tone needs to get stronger. My cardio endurance needs to improve and I need more core strength, so I work on everything. Stretching is my most necessary thing and I detest it because it is painful. I will do it because I need to and it is worth the hurt. A lot of my current problems could have been prevented if people had worked on this when I was small. I think it is essential to work on fitness and flexibility for autistic people in a regular program.