How Might Occupational Therapists Provide Services?

Occupational therapy might be provided in a variety of ways to persons with fragile X syndrome. For very young children, an occupational therapist (OT) might make a home visit, in order to help the family make environmental adjustments in the home. Parents may be able to make adjustments to areas such as lighting in the child's bedroom or noise levels in certain parts of the house. Some families may find it helpful to purchase swings, big balls, mini-trampolines, or other equipment that provides calming sensory input to their youngster.

The parent of the infant or toddler might receive services through a school district or private agency. Parent-infant groups may be led by an OT, who teaches the caregivers calming strategies, massage, deep pressure, and other techniques helpful for soothing an over-stimulated baby.

Combined therapy with a speech-language pathologist may be provided in a center or school. Activities may include calming strategies, along with physical activities and language stimulation. Occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists may help design an environment and a daily sequence of activities that are most conducive to learning.

School age children may also receive help regarding fine-motor skills from an occupational therapist. She or he may work in the classroom or in a resource room. She or he might work with writing and with keyboarding skills on the computer. Particular pencils, with extra grips, or a certain shaped mouse for the computer might be recommended.

For older adolescents and adults, the OT may evaluate workplaces and provide services to help both work skills (e.g., fine motor tasks) and the work environment. When vocational planning takes place, an OT can be very helpful in considering what type of work would be a good match for an individual.

Gail Harris-Schmidt, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois

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