About 678,000 results come up in a Google search in 0.78 seconds for “the role of occupational therapy in autism” that support parents who have children with the autism spectrum disorder. One of such articles is from The New York Times Magazine posted on July 31, 2014. It claims that Mark Macluskie, 16 years old, is no longer autistic due to an applied behavioral therapy by a specialist (Padawer, 2014). His mother, Laura (which is not her real name), reports that her child began to show some regression when he was about 12 months old. And, by the age of 2, he seemed to be completely in his own world since he stopped making eye contact, never seemed to hear nor understand some of the random words he spoke which led to the autism diagnosis (Padawer, 2014). Currently, Mark’s mother who is sure that her son is no longer autistic believes that the help of an occupational therapist who introduced the applied behavior analysis whereby every quotidian action was broken down into little learnable steps made a significant contribution to the boy’s cure of autism (Padawer, 2014). Nevertheless, the given media coverage seems to indicate that only occupational therapy plays a vital role in the treatment of the disorder while the other supposed cures such as nutritional supplements, vitamin shots, special diets and detoxifiers among others cannot alleviate the core symptoms or even eradicate it (Padawer, 2014). This assumption leaves to wonder whether the treatment of autism only necessitated occupational therapy without other forms of therapy, and whether it would actually work. In fact, despite the media’s quick embellishment of occupational therapy as the best mode of treatment for autism, well-researched studies prove its benefits and show that it is indeed the best way to treat autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, this essay intends to examine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of occupational therapy on children with autism and investigates if the story covered in the media is actually factual or fictional.

How Occupational Therapy Affects Autism

Autism is a problem in the society that has become more prevalent with the proliferation of programs and interventions to perk up the quality of life for the people with the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Case-Smith and Arbesman (2008) state that there has been an rise in the number of those diagnosed with ASD in the past ten years, and the statistics reveals that 1 individual in 150 suffers from it. Obviously, such rise calls for the need for programs and services that can effectively enhance the participation and performance of the people with ASD. Occupational therapists are among the top professionals who provide therapeutic intervention for these persons. As a consequence, it is imperative for them to offer services with strong evidence of efficiency.

The early years of the child’s life are usually the most crucial since it is during that period that there is physical, social and cognitive development. Autism is a kind of developmental disorder often diagnosed at the age of 3 that affects the brain areas and functions that control communication skills and social behaviors (“Study Finds,” 2013). Due to the fact that a brain of the young ones evolves during the first three years of their life, some children might require support to develop as they should. This can be provided through the employment of the occupational therapy. As H?bert, Kehayia, Prelock, Wood-Dauphinee, and Snider (2014) claim, the mentioned therapy can aid children to minimize delays in development, grow better, and enhance cognitive as well as communication skills. When an occupational therapy practitioner begins working with little patients, they, first, evaluate them and, then, make a decision regarding treatment that can change their state for the better. Overall, the main focus of this kind of therapy is enhancing children’s performance of the everyday activities.

Traditionally, the intervention for the children with ASD has maintained focus upon the self-help skills, academic, teaching language and reducing the interfering behavior. But recently, it has shifted upon the abilities necessary to help them independently steer through the social world (H?bert et al., 2014). This change has taken place in response to the extended diagnostic criteria that allows for the identification of more people with social skills impairments. Besides, prioritizing the development of social skills within treatment has since proved essential in enhancing the lives of the children with ASD in spite of the severity of the presented symptoms.

In addition, children with autism can sometimes experience sensory overload which can show itself in the form of a challenging behavior, or withdrawal, as well as a complete shutdown, and occupational therapy, can treat these through various simple strategies. Studies have revealed that children with ASD suffer from a sensory processing disorder whereby they are slow to integrate inputs thus slowing the processing speed from their senses (Case-Smith & Arbesman, 2008). This sensory modulation disorder explains why kids with autism often have meltdowns. Occupational therapy can be conducted through various simple strategies at home or school to effectively add acoustic filters required. Using the right intervention and adding the right filters to each sensory system improves the child’s nervous regime making it more organized and regulated which enhances the kid’s performance and attention.

Hence, the media’s impression that occupational therapy can help lessen the primary symptoms of autism and even eradicate is actually factual which is proved by numerous studies (Case-Smith & Arbesman, 2008; H?bert et al., 2014; Wheeland, 2013). The media coverage story under analysis shows that children get cured of autism through occupational therapy. Nearly half of the young ones receiving more frequent therapeutic treatment have recovered (Padawer, 2014). For that reason, one can infer that occupational therapy plays a crucial role in the treatment of autism in children as presented by the media.

A Counter-Argument on the Issue

Conversely, in spite of the conclusion of mass media that occupational therapy is the best way for treating autism, there are other contributing factors to the cure. According to Johnson, Handen, Zimmer, Sacco, and Turner (2011), a gluten-free, casein-free diet also plays a vital role in improving the conduct of the young ones suffering from ASD. A strict GFCF diet in conjunction with occupational therapy can contribute to a successful outcome as they work hand in hand when it comes to curing the autism spectrum disorder. However, one has to remember that lacking sufficient amounts of essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins can increase the chance of a nutritional risk which might affect the progress made by occupational therapy. At the same time, concentrating on a proper GFCF diet and ensuring not to break it while ignoring the proper procedures for occupational therapy can also lead to incomplete treatment.

Therefore, the presentation of the success stories of occupational therapy in the media does not provide a full picture of the treatment but only the part they consider to be the most efficient. Besides, the article under analysis does not inform its readers whether Mark was on the GFCF diet or not. All the author talks about is the boy’s engagement in occupational therapy without mentioning the kinds of foods he took. It is a fundamental failure on the side of the media since it concentrates only on the side of the coin that they deem more attractive which in this case is the role of occupational therapy in treating autism in children and leaves out other important approaches such as strict diet plans. Therefore, the media can be freely criticized for not providing some information regarding the treatment of the disorder. Undoubtedly, throughout Mark’s journey battling with autism, therapy was just one of the several other interventions that led to his recovery. Hence, occupational therapy may be the best method to cure autism in children, but it definitely does not function alone since there are other interventions that when put together with it produce positive results.

Therefore, therapy enhances the daily function in children suffering from ASD. Occupational therapy results in them showing improved results at school and at home. The occupational therapy practitioners, however, first need to understand the sensory issues experienced by these kids. Then, it is important to make the treatments accessible when in school as well as at home. Moreover, the most important thing is that the occupational therapy specialist will not work alone to help cure autism, but rather it calls for an entire team such as the family members, teachers, and even friends. All of them are vital in reinforcing goals and initiating direct interactions to help support the success of the therapy. Furthermore, the evaluation process helps gain an understanding of individual skills including strengths and challenges. It is through the results found from the assessment that the therapy is individualized into a variety of techniques and strategies that can help the child maximize his or her ability to be active. Therefore, occupational therapy is indeed necessary for the treatment of the autism spectrum disorder in children since it does not only impact communication but also enhances motor skills and interaction skills and reduces anxiety resulting in more organized children.

About the author: Fiona Wilson is a master in Literature at New York University. She is currently working as one of the best writers at the place where you can find articles for sale https://essays-writer.net/articles-for-sale.html She also studies male psychology. She adores sport and her favorite activities are volleyball and swimming.