When you are a parent to a child or a young adult of determination, every aspect of it is challenging. Some parents may face some anxiety as you start to recognize the support needed for your child to be fully integrated into society as they develop through the stages of life. Worry no more as there are a lot of therapies available to help you on this such as Occupational Therapy (OT).
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), “Occupational Therapy practitioners facilitate participation in everyday living. Occupational Therapy (OT) allows people across the lifespan to do the activities they want and need to do. Occupational therapy helps People of Determination (people with cognitive, psychosocial, or physical conditions) develop, regain/recover and maintain functional life skills to enhance their quality of life. OT is necessary for successful participation at home, at school, and in the community through environmental modification, activity analysis and collaboration with other team members.”
At The Doris Duan-Young Autism Center (DDY), a well-known multidisciplinary center in Dubai, we collaborate with parents and other clinicians to formulate a holistic intervention and individualized program specific for every child. As part of DDY’s vision, the center aims to become a trusted leader in innovative care for individuals with autism, and build an inclusive society in the UAE and beyond.
Occupational Therapy in DDY specializes in programs for young adults and one of the programs revolves around teaching life skills. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), life skills are defined as “Abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life”. Occupational Therapy in DDY creates goals that are of value to the family and the individual. Occupational Therapy hones the young adult’s ability to make their own choices, deal with conflict, develop their self-esteem, understand their own self and feelings, identify their strengths and areas that needs improvement and improve their interpersonal relationship skills in preparation to community integration such as taking the public transportation, managing money, and using the computer to make their own resumes.
The main goal of life skills training in DDY is to help our young adults understand themselves, achieve their goals, be included in the society and to be as independent and live a meaningful life as possible.
