For our talented and passionate Occupational Therapists, quality of life is their thing!
Building opportunities for the individuals they support to participate and be included in the community every day, is just part of the daily life of an Occupational Therapist (OT) at the Autism Association.
Occupational Therapists support individuals with sensory processing, self-care, play, social skills, and learning.
To do this, they are especially creative at using specialised (and sometimes not so specialised) resources.
Our Team Leader, Simone, shares with us 5 of her favourite resources and how she uses them.
Visual Schedule
What is the resource?
A visual schedule is a series of pictures, symbols and/or words, presented visually in a sequence to help individuals understand what to do, in what order, and for how long.
Who uses this resource and why?
Visual schedules are used by both OTs and the individuals they support. Autistic people often learn best from visual information, and when ideas are presented visually, the information is more concrete and can be referred back to as many times as needed. This has an advantage over information presented only verbally, as verbal input is fleeting and can be easily forgotten. Knowing the plan for what will happen next, also provides consistency and predictability, which helps to reduce anxiety.
For many Autistic people, routines can be a powerful tool to support function, wellbeing and stability. Routines bring a sense of order and ‘sameness’ to a seemingly chaotic, ever-changing and sensation-driven world.
Why is it a good resource?
Visual schedules are great because they are personalised, create predictability and provide choice and control – which are all important for the person using it. When an Autistic person uses the visual schedule, it can also allow create opportunities for choice and control over what they want to do and when.
Playdough
What is the resource?
Playdough is a soft, pliable modelling compound.
Who uses this resource and why?
Most often used with younger children, Playdough is not only a fun toy. To a skilled therapist, Playdough can be a great resource to support across a range of areas, from fine motor skill development, sensory regulation, and play skills to emotional regulation, and communication skills.
Why is it a good resource?
Not only can it provide a fun and meaningful way to play, but Playdough can be used to target a huge range of skills. It could be used to learn more about your sensory system, to build strength in the muscles of your hands, to better understand abstract concepts, or to communicate something in a different way. As an added bonus, for a busy therapist, it is a cheap, compact and mess free tool to always have in your kit bag.
Spot It
What is the resource?
Spot It is a fun card game where between any two cards, there is only one matching symbol. The idea is the first person to ‘spot it’ wins the card.
Who uses this resource and why?
Spot it is a great, fun way to support someone to build attention, practice shared attention with others, learn social skills, develop visual perception, language skills and fine motor skills. We think the OTs enjoy playing this game just as much as the people they support.
Why is it a good resource?
Using a game can be a great way to learn about social skills. People with Autism can often find it difficult to recognise and understand social cues. A simple game, such as Spot It, can be used to learn a range of skills, such as, how to adjust your response to suit different social contexts. Like most games, Spot It can be a fun and engaging way to start or end a therapy session.
Bubble Wand
What is the resource?
Blowing bubbles with a bubble wand and bubble solution, may seem like just simple fun activity. However, with a bit of creativity it can be a great addition to any OT’s toolkit.
Who uses this resource and why?
Every person with Autism is unique, and so are their personal strengths, interests and needs. OTs will often use bubble wands in sessions with Autistic children in countless different ways. A bubble wand can be used to create a calming visual sensation to support regulation, as a way to build oral motor skills, as an activity to practice communication, as a way to learn turn taking, or event to target toileting skills.
Why is it a good resource?
Bubble wands are great as they are budget-friendly, easily accessible, compact and can be used to target a multitude of skills.
Paper and Textas
What is the resource?
Plain paper and coloured markers.
Who uses this resource and why?
Although they might seem like simple resources, paper and textas can be extremely impactful when used by OTs to support people with Autism. Not only do they allow for creativity and self-expression, but they can also support fine motor skills, emotional regulation, communication skills and visual perception skills. Drawing and writing can be a motivating way to learn complex concepts, to communicate thoughts, feelings and emotions, to learn more about their sensory systems, or simply to take a break from other learning activities.
Why is it a good resource?
These resources not only targets multiple skills (such as fine motor and visual perception), but they can be used as a creative and fun way to help teach emotional regulation, social and communication skills.
Check out our blog for more expert advice or head to the resource library of our website to find information including, tip sheets, guides, social stories and more, to support Autistic individuals.