Rethinking Hand Over Hand Prompting With Autistic Kids - With Occupational Therapist, Diamond Rashad

Hand-over-hand often bypasses consent, autonomy, and motor planning. The child isn’t making a choice, solving a problem, or initiating communication. They’re being physically guided to perform a behavior, which can look like “success” in the moment but rarely leads to independence or generalization. It can also impact trust. When a child learns that adults will move their body without permission, it can increase anxiety, shutdown, resistance, or avoidance…especially for autistic children with se