Which is better, occupational or physio therapy? I need some advice
By Skyeblue25
@Skyeblue25 (545)
December 6, 2009 11:28am CST
My son saw his speech and language therapist the other day for an assessment of his needs. She has told me he would benefit from having an assessment done by an occupational therapist and I should go to my GP and ask to be referred.
Anyway I took him to his club the other day and was speaking with one of the Mums who's child has ASD and she told me she was told the same thing and was on the waiting list to see a occupational therapist for 4 years before being taken off the list and she never actually got to see one. So she reccomended I ask to be referred to a physiotherapist instead as that is what she did. She told me they have specialist physiotherapists that work with children to strengthen their muscles and improve their fine motor skills.
Now I am not sure what to do. Will a physio assess my son in the same way? Whats the difference? Does it really matter?
Have any of you had to go to either with your child or yourself? I could really use some advice before I see my doctor
9 responses
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
8 Dec 09
Both are important for any child with ASD.
I believe a child with ASD should have started OT as early as you found out that child has ASD. It plays a big part.
Right now our child is doing OT 4 days a week at school & then at home as well.
If I had to pick what was better... I'd say OT, but I also feel both are important.
Try talking with your childs speech teacher again & weigh out the pros & cons.
@Skyeblue25 (545)
•
8 Dec 09
Thanks. I wish my son had been diagnosed earlier, he has only had his diagnoses for 3 months, he is 9. I have known he had ASD since he was 3. It has been a long struggle to just get a full assessment done.
Thankfully he has had the full assessment and he has a diagnoses which means he is now receiving all the support he needs. I will definitely wait to see the OT
@neo_matrix (884)
• India
8 Dec 09
Hello Skyeblue25!
well your speech therapist did give you a good advice by suggesting you to have a occupational therapy evaluation done for your child.Infact thats important in your sons case as he has many other issues which a physiotherapist won't be able to handle.most of the autistic spectrum disorder children tend to have sensory processing problems that would hamper their development.An occupational therapist would be able to find out if your child has such issues too before working out on the fine motor skills.
they can also help you with his problems with his activities of daily living (ADL like self care,eating, functional communication,dressing,transportation,mobility etc.).i am unaware with what exactly your son is struggling in the ASD spectrum.but usually the child with ASD has problem giving eye to eye contact,has limited social interaction,has problem in motor planning (like unable to tie shoe laces, unable to throw or catch a ball),attention,eating problems,communication problems,self esteem and other psychosocial issues too.which i feel an occupational therapist is better equipped to handle with their knowledge base of psychology,child development,sensory integration etc .
hope the information is of help for you.
@Skyeblue25 (545)
•
8 Dec 09
Thankyou for your response. I don't know anything about occupational therapy, but after reading what you have just written it makes me believe it is worth waiting on the list for Daniel to be seen.
His speech and language therapist is concerned about his fine motor skills. He finds writing very difficult. She feels if a therapist can strengthen his muscles across his chest and shoulders that will help with his coordination.
@sleepylittlerose (1648)
• United States
7 Dec 09
The difference between occupational therapy and physio are the muscle groups they deal with. Occupational work with fine motor skills where physio work with larger motor groups. I have a hard time beliving, unless you are in a rural area that it would take you four years to get in to see an occuaptional therapist. I personally have worked with both after a car accident but found that what I need was physio as I had multiple broken bones. You really need to get your child into a pediatrician/childrens hospital for a correct referral. Either one will be helpful as they will both work with making your child stronger but the correct therapist will do much more for you and your child.
@Skyeblue25 (545)
•
7 Dec 09
I have been told that there are specialist children physio therapists that also can work with fine motor skills. Though I am still not sure. I may just ask the doctor, though I doubt he will refer me to both due to doctors needing to keep NHS costs down. Maybe they would allow us to see a physio until the occupational therapist became available. I guess if I don't ask I will never know. Thanks for the reply.
@wildlittlefan (4680)
• Hong Kong
7 Dec 09
I have tried both few years ago because of some thing I need to deal with.Frankly speaking,They both are essential for improvement and recovery.But most of the times,everybody seems to like physiotherapy better because it looks like the result and improvement looks faster than Occupational therapy.But I think it is different and all these support are needed for your child.I don't think it will do any harm if you do both but the best of all is to consult your doctor regarding to things like this.Let the professional handle the pronblem will be the best advise I can give to you.I hope that your child can recover or have great improvement soon.God bless you.
@Skyeblue25 (545)
•
7 Dec 09
Thanks for your reply. I hope it will help him. Hopefully I can see a physio with my son until we are able to see an occupational therapist. The waiting time is stupid.
God bless to you too
@grajesh29 (99)
• India
7 Dec 09
physio therapy is the best one........its a specialists job and the most needed in todays era..................
@Kevin159 (7)
• Canada
27 Mar 14
With my personal experience I would definitely suggest PT. I've been under bed rest for around 2 month after an accident. I recovered and now able to walk properly because of the therapy that I underwent with Dynamic Physiotherapy.
@dawnald (85135)
• Shingle Springs, California
11 Dec 09
My son went to occupational therapy for a couple of years and it helped him with his fine and gross motor skills when he was little. But we don't have the same system as you do over there, so I don't know anything about physiotherapy vs. occupational therapy. Sorry...
@canesfan1964 (544)
• United States
20 Dec 09
If your son has fine motor and sensory issues an OT would be great. My son did not get diagnosed until he was seven though we knew something was different at 3. He is 17 now and doing very well. He is an honor student in high school and will go to college. So there is hope. It is common that when your child is very high functioning that they get diagnosed later. High functioning or Aspergers kids "stump" the professional groups most of the time. Mine did. As your son ages his motor skills will improve. The school he is attending should have an OT to work with him. Check with your school and see if they can help you. Private OTs can be expensive so any help you can get from your school district would be beneficial.
