Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a constellation of social deficits and repetitive sensory-motor behaviours. Aquatic therapy (AT) may be effective in improving the social interactions and behaviours in children with ASD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of an AT program on social competence and quality of life and to understand participant’s experiences related to the intervention by obtaining qualitative data. A mixed methods intervention study was conducted among 6 children with ASD and their parents, with two research phases in a concurrent embedded design (an aquatic intervention as the quantitative design and a qualitative design in second step). The intervention and qualitative design followed international guidelines and were integrated into the method and reporting subheadings. Significant improvement was observed in the physical competence (p = 0.026) and important improvements in school functioning and aquatic skills, with no adverse events. Qualitative findings described: the meaning of AT intervention, patterns of behaviour and activities changes, social communication and social interaction. The aquatic intervention showed positive results for the social and physical competence, with elements of discordance, expansion, and confirmation between quantitative and qualitative results.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are multifactorial disorders of neurodevelopment that appear in the early stages of life [1]
The results are reported in the following order: (1) quantitative and intervention results, (2) qualitative results, and (3) mixed method findings [63]
We observed a clinically significant increase in aquatic functioning after WST intervention, which is in line with authors who showed that children with ASD increased their aquatic skills [19]
Summary
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are multifactorial disorders of neurodevelopment that appear in the early stages of life [1]. In 2018, it was estimated that the overall prevalence of ASD among Spanish children was 15.5 per 1000 in preschoolers and 10 per 1000 in schoolage children [2]. They are diagnosed by a significant impairment in social communication and repetitive sensory and motor behaviours [1]. In addition to concerns about social communication and behaviour, studies have addressed the fact that children with ASD have great motor difficulties. ASD could meet the criteria for early intervention by health professionals based on their motor difficulties alone [3]. McPhillips et al concluded that children with ASD are at risk for clinically significant motor impairments [6]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
