Written Communication Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Occupational Therapy Involvement and Implementation

With a growing prevalence of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is important to take into consideration the impacts this has on a child’s education. One challenge that children with ASD face is the task of handwriting. Research suggests that there are a number of interventions that are effective in assisting in young children with written communication. However, there is a scarcity of research that has studied the available written communication interventions used for children with ASD. This research investigated the written communication interventions used by Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs) working in North Carolina public school systems with children with ASD ages four to eight. One hundred and thirty-five OTs and COTAs responded to an online survey to determine the extent to which they address handwriting in children with ASD; the types of written communication interventions they use with children with ASD ages four through eight; their perceived effectiveness of these interventions; and their perspectives on the interventions and their work with this population. Results showed that OTs and COTAs address handwriting needs for children with ASD on their caseload, as many of these children have written communication goals on their IEPs. The study also found that there are numerous written communication interventions used with this population. The top five interventions used were found to be fine motor activities, alternative types of paper, Handwriting Without Tears, word processing or keyboarding, and visual supports. The results of this research study can help inform occupational therapists on interventions available and implementation of these interventions with children with ASD ages four to eight.Bachelor of Art