Physical Therapy For Autism

There are many ways in which occupational therapy can help people afflicted with autism. Since autism is usually detected in very young children by parents and pediatricians, the main goal for all concerned is to help the child to become the very best, and most independent person he can be as he enters adulthood.

The first goal of the occupational therapist is to help the child to integrate with and react to the world around him while at the same time assisting parents, family members and others with whom he comes into contact to understand some of the basic reactions exhibited in very common situations. For example when an autistic person shies away from being touched or from merely be greeted such as saying 'hello' to him, the autistic person is simply trying to indicate that he is over-sensitized or simply not ready to react since the touch or greeting may have be viewed as a distraction or interruption from the stimulus he was processing at that moment.

Autistic people, particularly children often have problems controlling their body, blending into the space around them and relating to the space between them and another person. The main goal of the therapist is to aid the child in learning to perform basic tasks as dressing himself and communicating with others. While some autistic people have some speaking ability, others may be classified as non-verbal meaning they can only make sounds such as grunting or groaning. Thankfully for these people, there are tools available such as specially-designed 'talking boards' which allow the person to click on pictures and basic phrases to communicate with others.

In the United States, in order to become an occupational therapist, one must have a masters degree, with a concentration or undergraduate degree consisting of courses in biology, psychology, sociology, anatomy and basic liberal arts. A license to practice occupational therapy is also required along with the passing of a national certification exam.

For many people, there is another avenue which is to become an occupational therapy assistant or aide. In order to achieve entry, one must have an associate degree from a community college or technical school and obtain on-the-job training working with a licensed occupational therapist. The median salary is around $26,000 with an average hourly wage of $12. Since 1 in 100 babies are born with autism, occupational therapists are critically needed in the medical profession.