Listen: The Role of Occupational Therapy in Neurodivergence

Insights from Tasneem Abrahams, an Occupational Therapist in Randburg, about the role of occupational therapy for neurodivergent people from childhood to adulthood. 

‘Weekend Mornings’ on Radio 2000 welcomed Tasneem Abrahams to unpack a simple question with far-reaching consequences: what exactly does occupational therapy do for neurodivergent people from childhood through late adulthood? The answer is generous in scope, deeply practical and quietly life-changing.

Occupational Therapy Plainly Told

Occupational therapy concerns the everyday things that occupy a person’s time, like brushing teeth, managing the toilet, dressing, learning, working, volunteering, caring and resting. When illness, disability or environmental barriers disrupt those activities, an occupational therapist helps rebuild capability, confidence and participation. The work is hands-on and often home-based. In mental health, it can be as essential as supporting someone to rise, shower, dress and step back into the day.

Abrahams notes the profession sits alongside physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and audiology as regulated medical disciplines. It is not surgery-driven. It is function-driven.

Neurodiversity and Neurodivergent Are Not Synonyms

Neurodiversity describes the natural variety of brain types across humanity. We are all part of that tapestry. Neurodivergent refers to people whose cognitive profile sits outside what is considered typical in a society built for neurotypical norms. That might include autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, obsessive compulsive presentations, and related profiles. In a world arranged for the middle of the bell curve, divergent wiring can become disabling without support. With the right adaptations, it can be merely different, sometimes advantageous.

TAKE A LOOK AT: What Is Neurodiversity? 7 Things Every Parent Should Know

School is not a universal fit

Many classrooms reward one narrow learning style. Children who do not fit are too easily branded disruptive or slow when the truth is misalignment, not deficiency. Context matters. Home stressors, sensory load, teaching methods and assessment formats all influence performance. Occupational therapists read that ecosystem, then recommend adjustments that help a learner meet the day on fair terms.

When to look closer

There is no single checklist that captures every neurotype. Instead, watch for patterns. Differences in joint attention, play, sensory seeking or avoidance, motor planning, handwriting that tires quickly, effortful decoding of text, difficulty sustaining focus, overwhelm in noisy spaces and social misunderstandings that repeat. Teachers often see early signs. Paediatric visits that track developmental milestones can guide timely referrals. Early identification does not label a child for life. It equips a family sooner.

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What OT adds at each life stage

Early childhood

Play-based assessment, sensory modulation strategies, parent coaching and routines that soothe instead of scramble. Therapists shape environments to reduce overload and to invite purposeful engagement.

Primary years

Fine-motor strengthening for handwriting, task breakdown for executive skills, visual schedules, seating and lighting tweaks, movement breaks and exam accommodations like extra time or a quiet room.

Adolescence

Study methods that work with the brain, not against it, digital hygiene, self-advocacy scripts, energy budgeting, participation in sport or clubs that build belonging without sensory punishment.

Young adulthood

Driving readiness, workplace accommodations, habit systems for bills, laundry, meal prep and appointment keeping. Transition planning for further study, apprenticeships, or first jobs.

Midlife and later

Career sustainment, burnout prevention, relationship scaffolding, community participation and when needed, strategies to navigate hormonal shifts that can unmask attention or sensory differences.

Across the lifespan, the therapist is part scientist, part coach, part designer of humane routines.

Health literacy is uneven

Awareness is improving in South Africa, yet it clusters in middle to upper-income areas. Abrahams highlights community initiatives like Jozi4Autism that aim to widen access, and she underscores that support cannot centre solely on the child. Families need emotional ballast, accurate information, and a multidisciplinary team that actually coordinates.

Everyday brain care that helps everyone

The brain needs deliberate rest, not only relentless stimulation. Pair deep focus with decompression. Schedule leisure that restores rather than numbs. Move your body. Sleep with intent. Trim screen time that leaves you wired yet weary. If you are bored, seek a challenge. If you are overclocked, seek calm. Rhythm matters.

A practical waypoint for parents and carers

Abrahams will speak on the therapy roadmap across the lifespan at the Neurodiversity Parenting Workshop 2025, hosted by BabyYumYum with partners in Bryanston. The gathering welcomes the public. Parents can meet a cross-section of clinicians and service providers in one place, ask grounded questions, and leave with steps they can use on Monday.

Final word

Neurodivergent people are not broken versions of a single human template. They are human, full stop. Occupational therapy helps align the person, task, and environment so participation becomes possible and then habitual. With early noticing, clear language and thoughtful accommodations, that alignment can hold through childhood, adolescence, work, and well beyond.

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Listen to the full interview on Radio 2000 #Weekend Mornings below: