Adult Occupational Therapy
Are you or a loved one experiencing autism, ADD/ADHD, or executive functioning limitations?
Does anxiety or sensory processing disorder hold you back from living your best life?
Are you a college student who could benefit from extra help to work toward gaining independent living skills?
If so, adult occupational therapy can help.
Occupational therapy might not be a household name like other healthcare practitioners, but working with an occupational therapist can help transform and improve a person’s quality of life for the better.
Read on to find out more about occupational therapy for adults, and how it can help.
Who Can Benefit from Adult Occupational Therapy?
At New Horizons Wellness Services, our adult occupational therapy program specializes in helping people with various challenges and goals. Our key areas of focus include:
- Executive Functioning: Improving skills like planning, organizing, decision-making, and managing time. We provide practical strategies to manage daily routines, career responsibilities, and personal goals.
- Social Skills: Building tools for effective communication, perspective taking, social interaction, and non-verbal communication.
- ADHD Management: Developing routines, strategies, and habits to overcome challenges with focus, and impulse control.
- Autism: Supporting sensory processing, emotional regulation, and communication skills for a fulfilling life.
- Motor Skills & Primitive Reflex Integration: Enhancing coordination, balance, and activity tolerance, essential for daily activities and overall health. Unresolved primitive reflexes can impact coordination, focus, and movement.
- Self-Regulation: Learning to recognize and manage emotions and responses to stress, which are essential for well-being and effective social interaction.
- Sensory Processing: Developing coping strategies for sensory sensitivities, such as sounds, lights, or textures, that may interfere with daily life.
- Self-Care Skills/Activities of Daily Living (ADLs): Regaining or enhancing the ability to complete essential tasks like dressing, grooming, cooking, and managing a household.
- Sensory Feeding/Eating Challenges, including ARFID: Challenges with food textures, tastes, or other sensory aspects can lead to restricted eating and health concerns. For adults, dealing with sensory feeding issues, such as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), our OTs provide sensory processing techniques and gradual exposure to expand your diet safely and comfortably.
Book An Appointment With New Horizons Wellness Services
Contact us today to learn more about how adult occupational therapy can help you or schedule a consultation. Take control of your life and unlock new possibilities with the support of our dedicated team.
Book an appointment with a New Horizons Wellness Services occupational therapist, and find out how you can do the things you need to do more easily.
Adult Occupational Therapy Treatments For Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)
What is sensory processing disorder? It’s a disorder where the sensory information you receive isn’t properly processed by your brain. It’s not an impairment of the senses – most people with SPD can see or hear just fine. The difference is in how your brain processes this data.
If you relate to any of the following, you may have sensory processing disorder:
- You don’t like to be touched
- You have difficulty starting your day, despite getting a full night’s rest
- You’re overwhelmed by visually or auditorily stimulating environments
- You have trouble learning new skills, especially when they’re motor skills
- You have difficulty staying focused
- You have to read something several times before you understand what it says
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You stumble over your words, but you don’t have a stutter
- You’re klutzy or uncoordinated
- You start several tasks at once and don’t end up finishing any of them
- You need to have a concept explained several times before you get it
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You have trouble organizing your thoughts and ideas
We don’t yet know exactly what causes SPD, though genetic or prenatal factors may contribute to it.
Your occupational therapist will work with you to adapt your responsibilities to your condition, helping make it easier for you to do the things you need to do and giving you a sense of accomplishment. The OT begins by evaluating sensory preferences, sensitivities, and thresholds related to sensory input.
Some specific techniques and tools your Occupational therapist may use in treatment of sensory processing disorder include:
Creating Self Care Routines-making it easier to complete tasks without becoming overwhelmed. The OT might create visual schedules or written checklists to guide individuals through each part of the routine.
Creating a Sensory Diet- providing a personalized set of activities and routines designed to get the sensory input a person needs to stay regulated throughout the day.
Recommending Environmental Modifications- changing a person’s physical surroundings to better suit their sensory needs.
Improving Sensory Processing- Providing strategic sensory input to help the body to process sensory information more effectively.
Recommending Sensory Tools and Devices- Various tools can offer sensory input, such as weighted blankets, noise-canceling headphones, or fidget tools.
Providing Strategies for Sensory Self-Advocacy- teaching individuals how to recognize and communicate their sensory needs to others.
Every adult’s sensory needs are unique, so our occupational therapists customize these techniques to fit specific sensory profiles. Through consistent use of these strategies and tools, adults with SPD can gain greater control over their environment and responses, ultimately enhancing their quality of life.
To find out more about how occupational therapy can help, contact New Horizons Wellness Services.
Adult Occupational Therapy Treatments For Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Do you have a hard time adapting to changes in your environment, or find yourself stuck in a routine?
Do you find yourself overstimulated by busy environments, causing you to miss out on employment or social opportunities?
Are household chores or other activities of daily living stressful because of overwhelming smells, sounds, or textures?
If so, these are some of the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). What we now call autism refers to a range of different symptoms and conditions that used to be considered separate. These include asperger’s syndrome, autism, and childhood disintegrative disorder.
Other than what’s mentioned above, some of the common signs of ASD in adults include:
- Preference for spending time alone
- Heavy reliance on routine
- Social anxiety
- Monotone speech pattern
- Involuntary noises or habits
- Difficulty with coordination
- Highly specific and focused interests
- Difficulty with change
- Difficulty forming close friendships
- Difficulty maintaining eye contact
- Difficulty managing emotions
- Difficulty with conversations
- Difficulty understanding nuanced speech, like sarcasm
- Difficulty understanding facial expressions
- Difficulty understanding body language
- Difficulty with sensory processing
Occupational therapy treatments at New Horizons Wellness Services can help.
Your occupational therapist can help you by exploring the different aspects of your life where you have difficulty. From there, they will help you with strategies and skills designed to allow you to better cope with the challenges life throws at you. The goal of occupational therapy for autism is to improve your quality of life.
Rather than trying to “cure” you, your occupational therapist will work with you to:
- More effectively manage your emotional state
- Develop self-soothing skills to manage anxiety
- Develop sensory processing routines that meet your adult needs
- Develop workplace problem solving skills
- Develop environmental modification & coping techniques
- Learn how to develop greater focus
- Explore the use of adaptive equipment to address your needs
- Transition into different stages of your life (high school to college, college to career, etc)
- And more…
Our OTs provide guidance on creating routines, managing sensory inputs, and developing workplace and social skills to improve your quality of life.
Adult Occupational Therapy Treatments For Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
When you think of a disorder like ADD/ADHD, you might think of it as something kids deal with. However, there’s a growing body of research that shows adults are affected by it as well – in fact, this 2005 study suggests that between 3 and 6% of the adult population deals with ADD/ADHD – that’s 6.3 to 12.6 million Americans.
Are you one of them? If you relate with any of the following, you may have ADD/ADHD:
- Difficulty focusing
- Poor planning & time management skills
- Difficulty with multitasking
- A short temper
- Getting frustrated easily
- Being impulsive
- Restlessness
- Mood swings
- Being forgetful or absent-minded
- Difficulty completing tasks
- Being disorganized
If you do have any of the above symptoms, you may just assume that’s the way you are. Maybe you have more trouble focusing than the average person. Maybe you need to just apply yourself more, or eat less sugar, or develop better discipline. None of these will hurt, but the important point is to address the root cause of your issues.
Occupational therapy treatments at New Horizons Wellness Services can help.
Your occupational therapist will take an inventory of your daily life, and consider some of the issues ADD/ADHD presents. This includes your:
- Working life
- School work
- Family responsibilities
- Social responsibilities
- Interpersonal relationships
- Changing careers or starting a new job
- Moving from school to the workforce
- Parenting or being a caregiver
From there, you’ll work together with your occupational therapist to develop strategies to help you better cope with your ADD/ADHD, organizing your life, physical coordination, and more.
ADD/ADHD can be difficult to live with. However, there is hope. Occupational therapy treatments for ADD/ADHD at New Horizons Wellness Services may help you get a better handle on your life.
Contact us today to find out how.
Occupational Therapy for Adults With Anxiety or Depression
If you struggle with depression or anxiety, you know it’s an invisible disease. You may not look like you’re struggling, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult.
There are a number of different possible causes of anxiety or depression. If yours is triggered by sensory processing disorder (SPD), you may benefit from occupational therapy.
Your occupational therapist will examine the different roles you hold in your world – family member, parent, worker, student, friend – as well as the things you like to do in your leisure time. By giving you the tools you need to be able to fulfill the responsibilities each of these roles has, you’ll be better able to function in your daily life.
Your occupational therapist may also consider issues of self-esteem, identity, self-worth, and time management. By combining mental health practices with practical skills, your occupational therapist can improve your quality of life.
Occupational Therapy Treatments For Transition-Age Adults
Transitioning to a new stage of life is always complicated. No matter how smooth you expect it to be, there are always hiccups. Transition-age adults are typically between the ages of 16 and 24 who are in a pivotal stage of development. As you move from adolescence to adulthood, some of the transitions that you might experience include
- Graduating high school
- Going to college
- Finding a new job
- Taking on more responsibilities at work or in college
- Dealing with new social pressures
- Moving out on your own
- Living with a roommate or partner
- Changes in nutritional or medicinal needs
- Managing finances
Whatever it is your transition looks like, New Horizons Wellness Services can help.
For young adults with disabilities, chronic health conditions, or developmental differences like autism or ADHD, this period may require additional support to address unique challenges in achieving independence and setting long-term goals.
Your occupational therapist will help you prepare for your new life situation in a way that maximizes your independence and minimizes your stress. That way, you can move into your new phase of life with the confidence that can only come from being fully prepared.
Why Choose Us For Occupational Therapy?
Regardless of your reason for seeking out occupational therapy services, you know how big a decision it is.
It’s been difficult for you to accomplish the things you used to do, and you need help. Naturally, you want to make sure you get access to the best occupational therapy solution for your unique needs.
So, why choose New Horizons Wellness Services?
First of all, we understand the complexity of the challenges you’re facing. Whether they hold you back from your hobbies and leisure activities or day-to-day self care items like showering or grooming, it’s not something that can wait.
As a result, we do not have a waiting list. When you book an appointment at New Horizons Wellness Services, you’ll see a specialist within days, not months.
At New Horizons Wellness Services, you’ll get access to a customized treatment plan designed to meet your unique needs. Whether you’ve seen an occupational therapist before or this is your first time, we’ll build a plan for you.
Being out of network with insurance gives us greater control over the occupational therapy that you get. You and your occupational therapist can decide how many sessions you should do or how often you want to come in for appointments, not your insurance company.
With private pay, you often bypass the lengthy approval processes and wait times associated with insurance. Private pay clients can work closely with their OT to achieve optimal outcomes by receiving treatments focused on their specific goals, without needing to compromise due to insurance restrictions.
Although we do not bill insurance, many people use their Health Saving Account (HSA) cards for payment. We will provide clients and families with invoices and/or paperwork required by insurance companies so that they may file a claim.
If you’re working through a period of transition, or greater social or career demands, living with limitations can make it even more difficult. Here at New Horizons Wellness Services, your occupational therapist will provide you with new, age-appropriate tools to help you meet your goals.
What Is Adult Occupational Therapy?
Adult Occupational Therapy is a specialized healthcare service designed to help people overcome challenges that limit their ability to fully participate in life’s activities. Whether these challenges stem from an injury, illness, developmental conditions, aging, or other factors, they can impact a person’s independence and quality of life.
Occupational therapy (OT) empowers adults to gain control, adapt to limitations, and build the skills needed to participate in daily activities, work, hobbies, and social interactions. With the support of a skilled occupational therapist, individuals can learn practical strategies to increase independence, regain confidence, and improve overall well-being.
In order to practice occupational therapy in Oregon, you must hold a valid license from the state following receiving a degree from a school accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association.