During my travels to many autism conferences I have observed many sad cases of people with autism who have successfully completed high school or college but have been unable to make the transition into the world of work. Some have become perpetual students because they thrive on the intellectual stimulation of college. For many able people with autism college years were their happiest (Szatmari et al., 1989).
There’s a range of different CEUs available for occupational therapists, including free CEUs, subscription CEUs and options like autism certification that can help further their career.
These CEUs help them to serve people of all populations and ensure that they are prepared to give the best therapy possible.
One of these populations includes individuals who have autism, a lifelong condition that impacts the person’s development in social interaction and communication, among other things. Autism affects both children and adults and is the fastest growing disorder in the United States, making it imperative that OTs are familiar with the disorder and understand how to work with individuals on the spectrum.
Using proper materials in telehealth (or telepractice) can make a significant difference in the gains made by patients of an occupational therapist (OT).
An occupational therapist plays a significant role in the lives of children and adults who need help with everyday tasks. Whether working in schools or in a private practice, OTs have the opportunity to take their services online with a telehealth practice.
As telehealth becomes more prominent across different settings, the therapist-facilitator relationship is more important and varied than ever.
Facilitators are incredibly important when it comes to the success of the client and they play a vital role in teletherapy. The facilitator can be anyone from the client’s parent, caregiver, teacher aid, student support specialist and so on.
The demand for occupational therapists that can give quality teletherapy has gone from a few early adopters to a wide portion of the therapy population almost overnight with stay at home orders and other precautions.
Now that many clients have been forced to make the jump to teletherapy, they are starting to consider whether or not coming in for regular therapy needs to happen every time when there’s a plethora of advantages to the client of why teletherapy is a good option and treatment outcomes have been shown to be very similar.
Telehealth, teletherapy or telepractice has burst into prominence due to many therapists being forced to work remotely due to concerns of COVID-19, and many therapists are realizing the benefits both for their patients and for themselves as a therapist. Even many therapists that were not considering incorporating telehealth before are now being forced to integrate it in order to effectively serve their current clients and attract new ones.
Now that many occupational therapy clients have been forced to transition to telehealth (or teletherapy/telepractice) many clients are finding they want to keep doing telehealth in tandem with in-person services due to how it makes their lives so much easier. There are a lot of benefits for occupational therapists as well.
Many people who need a wide variety of medical and therapeutic services and have been restricted by stay at home orders or other restrictions to protect their own health or that of others. While telehealth is not going to be the best choice for every client, moving forward it is important for occupational therapists to consider how telehealth fits into their plan for the future. Many clients will want a combination of in-person services and teletherapy or might at times have telehealth be their only option.
Therapists who are certified in autism are in high demand and this is only going to grow as the autism population increases.
According to the CDC, one in every 44 children is diagnosed with autism in the United States yet the majority of states in the country are lacking when it comes to having enough therapists trained in the field of autism. This includes speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, behavior therapists, and other professionals.
In many cases, while therapists are trained experts in the specific therapy or intervention they provide, they often do not complete extensive autism-specific training in addition to their specialty.
This is why supplemental training and certification for therapists is so needed – not only to help therapists with
