The effects of aquatic therapy on stereotype behavior of children with autism spectrum disorder
Poster Presentation
Paper ID : 1320-12THCONG
Oral / Poster Presentation File: sample_template_en_1.jpg
Authors
1. Master of Motor Behaviour, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
A major problem encountered in many autistic children is their high rate of stereotypic behavior, which has been shown to interfere with on-task responding and other appropriate behaviors. Children with ASD were found to be less active during school recess time period as compared to those without disabilities. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of aquatic therapy on stereotype behavioral skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a quasi-experimental design with repeated measures.
Nineteen children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) age range between 5-12 years old were participated in this study. The participants were examined at baseline, pre-test, and post-test using Autism treatment evaluation checklist (ATEC), and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition (GARS-2).
The results showed that the aquatic program improved stereotype behavior (p < 0.05) in children with ASD. Also aquatic program affected on social skills in ASD children.
The results of this study suggest that the aquatic program can be considered as a therapeutic option not only for motor enhancement but also for improving stereotype behavior. This kind of therapy can use for most of the ASD children, because they enjoy doing physical activities in swimming pool and have aquatic trainings in water. Water can be considered as an over-load and these kind of therapies, can also improve physical fitness in children with ASD. In addition, water can also relax and prevent muscular injury in ASD children. These can be the result of that aquatic therapy has been viral recently and many papers and articles approved these trainings.
Nineteen children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) age range between 5-12 years old were participated in this study. The participants were examined at baseline, pre-test, and post-test using Autism treatment evaluation checklist (ATEC), and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition (GARS-2).
The results showed that the aquatic program improved stereotype behavior (p < 0.05) in children with ASD. Also aquatic program affected on social skills in ASD children.
The results of this study suggest that the aquatic program can be considered as a therapeutic option not only for motor enhancement but also for improving stereotype behavior. This kind of therapy can use for most of the ASD children, because they enjoy doing physical activities in swimming pool and have aquatic trainings in water. Water can be considered as an over-load and these kind of therapies, can also improve physical fitness in children with ASD. In addition, water can also relax and prevent muscular injury in ASD children. These can be the result of that aquatic therapy has been viral recently and many papers and articles approved these trainings.
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