#61: Strengths-based OT for Autistic People with Kavitha Murthi

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Full Course Details: Public course page
Learn more about our guest: Kavitha Murthi, MS (OT), OTR, FHEA (UK)

Read the article and discussion upon which this podcast is based.

Released August 7, 2023.

If you are an occupational therapy professional working with autistic people, you’ve likely heard of strengths-based practice (SBP).

But, does this approach work?

And, what are the benefits of it?

In this one hour OT CEU course we will discuss a scoping review that explores these questions. As we’ll see, strengths-based interventions were related to:

  • Positive social engagement
  • Learning
  • Self-advocacy
  • Anxiety reduction

After reviewing the article, we’re delighted to welcome to the podcast the article’s lead author, Kavitha Murthi, MS (OT), OTR, FHEA (UK). Her and I will discuss the practical implications of this research for your OT practice.

Primary Journal Article Explored

When you log in, be sure to check out the OT Potential Club’s written breakdown of the following research article. Then, share your questions and thoughts with fellow practitioners.

Murthi, K., Chen, Y.-L., Shore, S., &; Patten, K. (2023). Strengths-based practice to enhance mental health for autistic people: A scoping review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(2).

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

Onwumere, D. D., Cruz, Y. M., Harris, L. I., Malfucci, K. A., Seidman, S., Boone, C., &; Patten, K. (2020). The impact of an independence curriculum on self-determination and function in middle school autistic students. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, &; Early Intervention, 14(1), 103–117.

Lee, E. A., Black, M. H., Falkmer, M., Tan, T., Sheehy, L., Bölte, S., &; Girdler, S. (2020). “We can see a bright future”: Parents’ perceptions of the outcomes of participating in a strengths-based program for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(9), 3179–3194.

Supplemental Materials

Programs and theories related to a strengths-based approach

Strengths-based assessments

Learning Objectives

  • You will be able to recognize strengths-based assessments OTs can utilize with autistic clients.
  • You will be able to identify the components of a strengths-based approach to OT intervention.

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Breakdown and analysis of journal article (5 minutes)

  • The historical (and problematic) focus of autism research and clinical practice.
  • Why focusing on deficits is a problem.
  • The cry for change.
  • Enter: Strengths-Based Practice
  • Example of authentic Strengths-Based Practice.
  • What was the intent of this scoping review?
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion

Discussion on practical implications for OTs (with Kavitha Murthi) (50 minutes)

  • How did you first find OT?
  • How did you become interested in working with autistic clients?
  • Can you tell us the story of how this article came about?
  • As you revisit this article, what stands out to you?
  • The article stated that people with autism often face co-occurring mental health conditions. Can you elaborate on why it is important to consider mental health when working with our autistic clients?
  • The article mentioned both mental health assessments and strength based assessments you found in the literature. Can you give us examples of assessments that could be helpful in practice?
  • If you were seeing an autistic child in an outpatient setting, what would be some of your top considerations when it comes to planning intervention.
  • I wanted to ask specifically about intervention centered around modifying the environment? What can that look like in practice?
  • Through the process of writing this paper, were there any stories that really stood out to you and impacted how you think about supports for autistic people?
  • What do you see as coming next in the strengths-based practice movement?

Contact Hours

1 hour (0.1 AOTA CEUs). Released online from Aurora, NE.

See public-facing course page for more details.

Speakers

Kavitha Murthi MS (OT), OTR, FHEA (UK)

image

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L headshot

Ep61-AOTA-Badge

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Please share any other feedback below! Including, ideas for future programming, and most importantly, how you feel this podcast will impact your practice!

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As a “ seasoned” OT with a OTD, I am excited and very challenged with the ideas and themes in the podcast about the strengths-based approach to practice. Through my years in the profession, I have seen many different therapeutic approaches in many settings. I am a pediatric OT, whose career has been in home-based early intervention and school-based practice. The idea of using clients’ strengths has been an idea I thought I have always used in my approach to therapy. Working with a child, their family and caregiver network, students, teachers and other people involved in the care or education in intervention is a partnership that addresses challenges within the context of their interests, concerns and learning environment. The themes addressed in the research article by Kavitha Murthi OTR FHEA, bring up some ideas that I need to reflect on. The idea of using “ableism” language and approaches to intervention is new to me. These are challenging because I need to “ dig deep” and confront how I have approached therapy over many years. Was I not supportive or worse did I cause harm when meaning to accomplish good? This will take some time and self-reflection to adjust my intervention practices. I have an added challenge in that I currently provide school-based therapy exclusively in an online format. How does the strengths-based approach look in this setting? I think this approach is really how OT should and can be. Thank you and the author for shining light on this important paradigm shift to OT intervention. Change and evolving in practice is how we grow and move from novice to more effective informed OT practitioners. Stephanie Bruggman OTD OTR

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Love the podcast and drawing attention to Strengths Based Practice. As an OT working full time with adults with IDD and autism most of our work and documentation is strength based.

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Thanks, @jennifer17 , for your comments!! I am delighted you already use the language and the documentation to support your strengths. I would love to hear about your experiences doing this important shift in your work. Thanks!

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Dear Dr. @dr1 , Wow!!! Your reflections in this comment are so insightful, authentic, and astute!! I’m impressed by the diversity of your experiences as an OT and the wealth of knowledge you possess! I remember calling some parents I have worked with to apologize to their children (I learned this from my mentor Dr. Kristie Patten) for the harm I thought I had caused them. The families that I worked with were all very welcoming and accepted my apology with grace and love that I never thought I deserved. Having said that, I also want to highlight another point that Dr. Patten constantly discusses, it is okay to accept that we are wrong and give us some grace in that process. As OTs, we always strive to help the community we serve, but we don’t know what we don’t know, right? But when we approach the community we serve with the honesty you demonstrate, we are open to learning!! So I think you are already on the path to making a change!
I would love to discuss more about your setting, are the students in their classrooms? Do you have access to their homes? Can you view their environments? In my opinion, a lot can come from changing and adapting environments to make them nurturing. For example, conducting a group therapy session that focuses on interests, e.g., an interest-based engineering club or a one-one where you and the student play an online two-person game they love. These are some generic suggestions, but I would love to hear more from you. My email is kavitha.murthi@nyu.edu, and please feel free to reach out anytime!

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I really enjoyed listening to this podcast! I work in the school system and try and use strength based interventions, but see the need for more! Thanks!

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Hi @shelley1 :wave: I started as a school-based OT too!! I agree with you 100% we need more interventions that use strengths but work for whole classrooms. Thank you so much!!

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Ok this comment may be rude… I hope not! Sometimes I would like a bookmark in the podcast, or chapter, so that I can skip the conversation about how the OT interviewed got into OT. It’s usually interesting, but sometimes I have less time or really just want to hear what their thoughts are on the topic. It would be nice to be able to skip to where that part of the interview starts.

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Ha! I love that comment. I’m always looking for advice on how to make the podcast better :slight_smile: I also feel like that part of the podcast has been getting too long… I have been asking how they got into OT AND how they became involved in whatever out topic matter is… so I might try to start with just how they became involved in whatever our subject is… Do you think that would be a better starting point?

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@savel while we are in this train of thought- I’m also wondering what you think of my article review section? I also wonder if that opening part has gotten too long?

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Oops! Sorry for my very late reply.
First, good job always improving this podcast! I have been listening for years now, since maybe 2020? 2019?

Yes, I think just asking how they got into the topic/area is salient and interesting. Good idea for how to streamline. Honestly I like the article review, because I rarely actually read the article even though I frequently intend to.

I wonder if it would be hard to have chapters… you know how when you google a question and it directs you to a certain segment in a youtube video? I wonder if that’s google or whether the authors of the video do that…

Anyway, the podcast is always good! Thank you for your work and making this important resource.
Warmly,
Savel Sabol OTD, OTR/L

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Wow! I’m so thankful to get feedback from such a longtime listener! I couldnt believe the timing of your comment! We just sent out our email today on chapter timestamps! That has been a long time coming for us- and I hope people find them helpful. (I know I’ll use them quite a bit :slight_smile: )

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I feel that identifying a student’s strengths and using this in treatment planning verses as a reward is so beneficial to help them participate in learning activities

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I think the timestamps are a wonderful addition to the podcast!!

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@angela23 I agree with you 100%. I feel all students must be given opportunities to contribute to something (academics, classroom activities, leisure pursuits) as productive members of the school/community, and this will only happen when their strengths are appreciated and utilized authentically and organically. OTs are well positioned to do this as we understand the value and science behind occupations. Thanks for bringing this important point up, I appreciate it! :slight_smile:

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So fascinating, Just out of curiosity how did you get into your position working with this population?I currently also working with Adults with Autism and ID in a psychiatric hospital.

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