Autistic Adult Perspectives on Occupational Therapy for Autistic Children and Youth.
Julia Sterman, Erin Gustafson, Lindsay Eisenmenger and 2 others
PMID 35713212WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults advise therapists to stop trying to make children appear neurotypical.
They want support for self-advocacy, bodily autonomy, and changing environments or tasks to fit the child, rather than using behavioral strategies to force compliance.
Key findings
01Autistic adults want therapists to accept Autistic identity and change tasks or environments instead of using behavioral strategies to force neurotypical compliance.
02Therapy goals should prioritize self-advocacy and bodily autonomy, including respecting a child's right to say no regardless of their communication method.
03Participants criticized common OT goals like eye contact and forced verbalization, viewing them as harmful masking that damages mental well-being.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study relies on data from a specific, large Facebook group and a single podcast, which may not represent the diversity of Autistic adults, particularly regarding support needs, socio-economic background, and racial identity. Participants were primarily Autistic adults who engage with online advocacy communities, which may skew perspectives toward those already critical of traditional behavioral approaches. As a qualitative study of opinions and experiences, it does not test whether these recommended approaches lead to better clinical outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these perspectives as evidence that these approaches improve clinical outcomes. This paper reports what Autistic adults want and value based on their experiences, not data from a trial showing that these methods are effective for children.