Activities of daily living for children with autism

When Occupational Therapists work on activities of daily living our goal is to allow our clients to care for themselves independently. Your child with autism may have difficulty becoming independent in a number of their personal care tasks...

Toilet training

Your Occupational Therapist should be able to advise you regarding how to introduce toilet training to your child with autism. They should be able to assist you to establish whether your child is ready to begin toilet training and to advise you through the process.

Not all Occupational Therapists however will focus on this aspect of your child's development, so be sure to ask about toilet training before you start therapy if it is something you need help with.

Dressing

Children with sensory processing difficulties often have difficulty working out how to position their body parts for dressing. They may also struggle to work out how to position their clothing to get it onto their body correctly.

They may struggle to work out front and back and which shoe goes on which foot.

Your Occupational Therapist should be able to assist with teaching your child to dress independently.

Eating

Eating can be a problem for children with autism for a number of reasons. Your child may struggle to sit at the table for the duration of the meal. They may have difficulty using cutlery and prefer to use their fingers. They may also have a very limited diet and you may be worried that they are not getting enough nutrition.

Ask your Occupational Therapist if they can help you with your child's specific eating difficulties before starting therapy.


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