Occupational therapy

We combine our senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, balance and the sense of our body in space) in order to make sense of our environment. However, some autistic children and young people may have difficulty filtering sensory information, and it can become overwhelming, uncomfortable and/or painful.

On the flip side, some autistic people actively seek sensory sensations to calm themselves, relieve anxiety and often just for pleasure and relaxation. Experiencing sensory stimuli differently from the neurotypical population is known as sensory processing differences.

Research over the years, have also highlighted that many autistic children, or those with sensory processing differences, often have co-occurring difficulties with posture, coordination, and motor planning.

When we lack the “filters” to screen out irrelevant information, this can cause sensory overload and lead to a meltdown. Each sensory input builds and builds without being filtered out appropriately. As one student said to me, “I cannot keep reading because my eyes are full up at the moment”.

When a person is experiencing sensory overload, it can be incorrectly perceived as distressed behaviour. Sensory overload may also result in a withdrawal or complete shutdown. Making sure a student with sensory processing differences has the right sensory opportunities and environmental adaptations throughout their day, will remove barriers to learning and go some way to improve their wellbeing.

Occupational therapists are key. Providing advice and interventions to target each sense, helps the child’s nervous system become more organised and regulated. This can reduce the child’s anxiety and exhaustion and improve their attention and performance.
Occupational therapists work to promote, maintain, and develop the skills needed by students to be functional in a school setting and beyond.  For example:
 

• self-care (e.g. dressing, eating a meal, managing toileting needs and managing personal hygiene)
• productivity (e.g. emotional regulation, levels of alertness, participation, handwriting and organisational skills)
• leisure (e.g. socialising with friends, belonging to a group, participating in hobbies/play and motor skills for PE).