Hello Dear listeners, I am happy to announce a new podcast episode on the topic “Self-care skills for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)” with an occupational therapist and a university professor Dr. Aditi Mehra.

Dr. Aditi Mehra graduated with a bachelor’s in occupational therapy, from Western Michigan University in 1998 and has a Doctorate in Health Sciences from Midwestern University in Illinois. She has practiced as a pediatric OT for the past 20+ years in various settings: early Intervention, hand therapy, inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation and school-settings.

During her Doctoral Studies, Dr. Mehra also pursued a certification in Applied Behavior Analysis to improve and enhance collaboration within multidisciplinary teams. Once she delved deeper into this branch of Psychology, Dr. Mehra uncovered Fit Learning, an academic program based on the principles of Precision Teaching designed to build fluency and address all differences in learning (Executive Functioning, ADHD etc.). Dr. Mehra is currently the Director of Fit Learning Labs in Chicago, and London. She continues to practice OT in the school setting, hosts a YouTube channel and is also an adjunct professor at Elmhurst University. Her passion is rooted in using simple data collection process to make more progress and save time and can be found on her website: https://dradititheot.com/

We made our discussion practical and discussed different cases from our everyday practice. Thus, what we have discussed:

• what are self-care skills and what factors can influence the participation in these activities among people with ASD,
• the sensory issues and the importance of adapting to some sensory stimuli or modifying the environment to minimize the possibility of sensory overload,
• different examples from our practice about dressing, washing, toileting skills and difficulties parents can face raising a child with ASD,
• the transition from childhood to adulthood, etc.

Participating in self-care activities is an important part of our life. The independence and confidence improve our quality of life and affect our self-esteem. The independent functioning in these activities can be limited among people with ASD due to a range of factors. Consequently, knowing these factors, we can analyze the situation and support people with ASD. I would be delighted if you could find some answers to your questions. Thank you for attention!