Can Occupational Therapy Help With ADHD?

     In preparation to come to graduate school, I spent some time shadowing at Sensory Puzzles in Knoxville, TN observing how occupational therapy is used in the pediatric population to treat sensory processing disorder and other various disorders. One diagnosis that was discussed while shadowing was ADHD which is why when I discovered the podcast about ADHD and occupational therapy, I had to investigate. 

    Jennie Friedman has a blog and podcast called See in ADHD. One of her episodes focused specifically on the role of occupational therapy in ADHD treatment and featured guest Dr. Stephanie Lancaster. Dr. Lancaster shared that there is a lot of crossover in a sensory diagnosis and ADD and ADHD. With a diagnosis of ADHD or ADD, sensory smart strategies can be used, and these strategies can prevent the need for further interventions. She discussed that when treating children, it is important to use the "Just Right" approach. This approach's goal is to avoid giving the child more than they can handle while also not coddling the child and preventing them from being independent. As is the case with most occupational therapy interventions, the goal in this situation is to achieve independence as quickly as possible. In children with ADHD, this can mean figuring out strategies to get the child to their optimal level of alertness or optimal level of arousal. This is a level that is necessary for most all people to function at their best capacity. If it is too high or too low, a person might be over aroused or under aroused and unable to complete the task at hand. Dr. Lancaster compares this idea to a car that either has an engine with low power and is sluggish or a car in which the engine is revved and overpowered. In both of these cases, completing a task can be difficult because of lack of or too much drive. It is the goal of the occupational therapist to find just the right range.

    The story Dr. Lancaster shared about a former client also helped to expand my knowledge related to how occupational therapy can be used to help students in the school as well. One client she had was a young girl in kindergarten who the teacher saw as a "trouble maker". Because of this, the girl's mom requested that she have an occupational therapy evaluation. This evaluation gave her the sensory profile of what is called a sensory seeker. This means that her body craves sensory input and movement in order for her nervous system to work and do what it needs to. She was prescribed a "sensory diet" which was a term that I had not heard before. Contrary to its name, a sensory diet has nothing to do with food. Rather, it is a schedule that includes movement breaks every one and a half to two hours that improves the child's ability to focus and participate in class. These movements can be anything from stretching to jumping jacks to recess. Its goal is to provide the needed sensory input, so a child can get back into learning mode. This method of treatment not only improved the young girl's education, but it kept her from being labeled as the "bad student".

    So the question stands, can occupational therapy help with ADHD? Based on what Dr. Lancaster discussed, occupational therapy is an effective approach to look at the diagnosis holistically and help individuals with that diagnosis learn how to self-regulate and become more independent in their daily lives. As a future occupational therapist, I will have the ability to help clients change the way that others see them and also how they see themselves which I think is pretty exciting!!