What is an Occupational Therapist?

An Occupational Therapist (OT) helps people develop, recover, or maintain the skills they need for daily life. For children and young people, this often includes supporting participation in activities like self-care, play, learning, and relationships.

OTs work holistically, looking at physical, sensory, emotional, and cognitive needs to understand how to improve someone’s ability to function in the world around them.

Some OTs told us about their jobs. This is what they said:

OTs working with children and families might:

• Carry out assessments at home, school, or in clinic.
• Support with fine motor skills, handwriting, dressing, or using tools.
• Work on emotional regulation and sensory processing.
• Provide activity-based or play-based interventions.
• Advise on environmental adaptations, routines, and strategies.
• Collaborate with schools and families to embed support across settings.

Sessions may be individual or in small groups.

Occupational Therapists are:

• Degree-qualified (BSc, MSc, or Doctorate in Occupational Therapy).
• Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the UK.
• Often members of professional bodies like the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

They also complete additional training in:

• Sensory integration and sensory profiling.
• Autism, ADHD, and PDA.
• Mental health and trauma.
• Play-based and family-centred approaches.

Some specialise in mental health under schemes like Better Access to Mental Health (in Australia, for example).

OTs can help PDAers and their families:

• Understand sensory sensitivities and regulation needs.
• Develop confidence in daily activities through flexible, low-pressure strategies.
• Adapt tasks or environments to reduce stress and increase participation.
• Explore identity, values, and self-understanding through gentle coaching.
• Build routines that respect autonomy and promote self-awareness.

They can provide a bridge between therapeutic support and everyday life.

OTs shared many thoughtful adaptations for working with PDAers

• Offering choice and autonomy in all activities and goals.
• Using sensory-informed strategies to reduce overwhelm and support regulation.
• Providing alternatives to verbal communication (e.g. drawing, play, visuals).
• Avoiding drawing attention to new or challenging behaviours, unless welcomed by the young person.
• Letting the young person lead sessions, with flexible expectations and a curious approach.
• Focusing on strengths and interests, not just difficulties.
• Supporting parents to adapt expectations and avoid demand escalation.

Some OTs also offer direct support to parents for their own emotional needs and learning.

The OTs we spoke to told us that for PDAers they can:

• Make daily life feel less overwhelming.
• Improve access to play, learning, and relationships.
• Help families understand behaviours through a sensory and functional lens.
• Offer positive, affirming ways to build confidence and reduce distress.

PDAers and their families often tell us how confusing and unsettling it can be to meet new professionals – especially when it’s not clear what their job is or what good support looks like. That’s why we asked professionals themselves to tell us, in their own words, what they do. You’ll find their honest, personal answers in the ‘What professionals do’ section of our site.

This is a growing resource, so if you don’t see the role you’re looking for yet, you could ask the person you’re working with to fill in this short form.

Please note: these insights come from individual professionals, not official organisations, so you might find some variation in how people describe their roles. If you’re wondering whether a service you’ve been offered is the right fit, our guides to finding helpful support can help.