Forums

Hello Arlene! I have an autistic daughter who is 45. She lives in her own house (near mine) and is supported night and day by care-workers. She has no speech and very limited understanding of language. Nonetheless,she continues to learn, however unwillingly! I'd like to provide her with new and interesting things to do. She listens to a wide variety of music and goes out a lot - but she needs indoor activities to help her focus her attention. I'd like advice about very basic learning materials (including craft materials) and also about how to set up a safe multi-sensory room in her house. She loves bright colours and moving lights. I'd also welcome any ideas you might have on providing music therapy.

Emmeline

Hi Emmeline, not sure I can answer all your queries at once but I'll have a go! I'm not a very "arty" OT but strongly believe in the model of person centred active support. This model asks support workers to include the client in every activity that they do - putting clothes in the washing machine, cooking, cleaning, shopping etc etc. I would be encouraging (and possibly teaching) them to ensure that the client was involved in each of their everyday tasks to the best of their abilities (that might be holding the pegs whilst the supporter hangs it on the line). Cooking / baking is a great indoor activity and clients are usually motivated to do it - simple tasks with lots of steps and photo recipes can often help the client to participate. We usually find that if supporters increase the involvement of clients they have less time that they need to fill with art or leisure activities. After daily living tasks we usually recommend that workers scour the shelves of Tesco and Poundland looking for the craft kits that are available (with the assumption that workers will know more about the clients likes and dislikes). Longer term projects like making benches for the garden can also be productive - lots of repetitive sanding, painting etc but with a great end product. You also mention that you would like activities to focus her attention - have you tried a PC with touch screen or a Wii? (You might have to teach the supporters to use it though!!).
Multi-sensory room - now this is a topic I could go on about all day! If you have a spare room that's fantastic but you could think about making her house a more "sensory environment". I've seen some fabulous bathrooms with light effects whilst the person lies in the bath. Richard Hirstwood's website is a great resource for ideas and materials - http://www.multi-sensory-room.co.uk/ Building a sensory profile (just a list of each of the senses and her likes and dislikes in each category) can be a great tool to start you off and is always interesting to find out what other workers think are her likes and dislikes (e.g does she like a particular feel of clothing?, does she like busy, noisy environments?) from there you can discuss other ideas. For example you mention that she likes bright colours and moving lights - are supporters seeking out community events that have lots of visual stimulation for her? Music therapy - proper music therapy is done by professionals (your CLDN might know of someone nearby). Hope that is of some help - your questions are so big that I wasn't quite sure where to start (I do a whole day's training on person centred active support and another in sensory processing!). If you have any other questions or would like me to explain some points in more detail please just ask!

Hello Arlene I wonder if you've come across this behaviour and have any advice on possible solutions? My daughter is 16 with autism and attending a mainstream school with support. She is managing well and is mostly happy with the set up there. However, she has developed a habit of walking really strangely; she looks like she's been riding bareback for a week, or is possibly wearing a wet nappy! She says nothing is sore and dismisses my concerns and comments from staff at school. It is very probably a stress/control behaviour, but I don't want to discount physical causes. She has poor coordination and has always had a clumsy walk. But this is more extreme and I worry she will be a target for bullying. Thanks! Hazel

Hi Hazel, Sorry I missed your post last night. It's really hard to answer specific queries when I don't know the client. However I think I would want to completely check out all the health aspects with a GP and possibly a physio. If, as you suspect, it is a stress response I would try hard to identify the cause of the stress and attempt to alleviate it. If you think it might be a sensory issue you could ask your GP to refer to a specialist OT. Sorry I can't be more help.

Hi Naomi, my first thought is "does he have to shave?". I guess the answer to that depends on his age and peer group.
If he does have to shave though then there are a few options you could try. It's tricky when I don't know the person and there particular preferences but I'll list some of the things that I would think about .. - Shave gel / foam / cream etc - Electric / Manual Razor - Time, ensure it's a time he's calm & relaxed, possibly after an enjoyable activity - Place, in the bath is often successful - Can he do it himself or does he need assistance? He will potentially be less defensive if he does it himself. - If the sensation of shaving has been really difficult how can you "make it go away"? I would use the techniques & strategies that you currently use in other situations.
It may be that he won't be able to shave "regularly" but only when he is able to tolerate it.
Do stay in touch and let us know how you get on.