Children on the spectrum can benefit greatly from physical activities. Some of these benefits include easing repetitive behaviors, increasing attention span, and providing the opportunity to interact with other children. Aquatic therapy can be a valuable addition for kids on the spectrum to develop their motor, cognitive, and social skills. This intervention provides the child a setting where they can relax and enjoy play. Occupational therapists are there to assist the children in their interventions but parents are also welcomed to enjoy this experience with their children. Many children have benefited from aquatic interventions but this practice is not as common as other types of therapies used for kids on the spectrum. Aquatic therapy …show more content…
The deep pressure provided by the water will increase the child’s tactile input. For children with ASD addressing this input will help the child become calmer and more attentive and responsive. Completing gross motor activities can help decrease social anxiety. Children can share toys and participate in fun games together allowing social interaction. Often swimming across the pool can encourage speaking in children who have anxiety. Therefore, it is important for them to be able to do activities that aide and encourage social …show more content…
However, a study conducted in 2006 by Vonder Hulls and his colleagues reported that aquatic therapy increases the abilities and skills of a kid on the spectrum. They conducted a survey that analyzed the efficiency of aquatic therapy to children between the ages of four and ten with ASD. This survey focused on identifying the perceived benefits of aquatic therapy from clinician’s perspectives. The survey consisted of three sections. The first section determined the eligibility which required children between the ages of four and ten. The second section consisted of four questions related to the length, duration, and frequency of the aquatic therapy and the third section consisted of twenty-four questions relating to the therapist perceived outcome of aquatic therapy for the children with ASD. Out of the seventy-eight, surveys that were sent out only forty-eight were returned. Sixty-three percent of the aquatic therapist who returned the survey provided therapy for young children with ASD. The aquatic therapies ranged from thirty minutes to an hour with a frequency of one to eight classes per month. The shortest duration of completed treatment reported was three months and the longest being two years. Most of the clinicians reported a substantial increase in skill performance and eight-percent reported positive changes.
Recreational therapy works with populations such as mental health, gerontology, pediatrics, veterans, and many more populations that involve individuals with and without a disability, allowing their scope of practice to be very broad. Recreational therapists work with clients to restore motor, social and cognitive functioning, build confidence, develop coping skills, and integrate skills learned in treatment settings into community settings. Intervention areas vary widely and are based upon client interests and needs. Examples of intervention modalities include creative arts, sports, adventure programming, dance, movement, and leisure education (The Recreational Therapy Professional, 2012). Recreational therapy services are recognized in some health care fields, as well as throughout the community depending on the population they specialize in. Through the use of recreational therapy, individuals receiving treatment would be able to reach a better quality of life through the facilitation of activities that are designed to benefit the individual in all aspects of his or her
...c Observation Schedule, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, and McArthur Communication Development Inventory to measure the communication and aversive behavior frequency of the participants. After the procedures were complete, results demonstrated that advances were made in both of the dependent measures that utilized ABA with NET and DTT combined (Matson & Konst, 2013, p. 476). Comparable results were also found by Zachor and Ben-Itzchak (2010) who conducted a similar study with more dependent measures including communication, language, comprehension, daily living skills, motor skills, visual perception, and social behaviors (as cited in Matson & Konst, 2013). Thus, this research demonstrates that comprehensive ABA programs can be an ideal method of treatment not only for school-aged children and adults with ASD, but for EI individuals as well (Matson & Konst, 2013).
"Occupational Therapy." KidsHealth. Ed. Wendy Harron. The Nemours Foundation, 01 July 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2014 .
Children with ASD often need additional support in the areas of communication, social skills, repetitive or sensory –seeking behavior, challenging or maladaptive behaviors, and adaptive skills For these reasons different teaching methods are required because ASD children interact with their environment in a different way than typically developing children. Children who are not on the spectrum learn through modeling, interaction with peers, and play. However, for children with ASD all of these forms of learning are difficult for them and aren’t prewired instead they have to be taught to make this connections. Thus, is the goal of DTT to help children learn skills and adapt to their environment in a more normal way (I don’t like that wording). ( Hunter
The author emphasises a unique approach to each individual who falls on the spectrum because each problem can be approached numerous ways to find a proficient solution. The author advocates that each individual experiencing ASD find a program or learning approach that works favorably for them. Siegel denotes that no two educational programs or teaching methods are the same, nor is there any program that is more effective than the other. When choosing a program, one must consider personal ability, necessary accommodations, and whether or not the curriculum is developmentally appropriate.
Early intervention is effective in treating autism spectrum disorder in many ways. One important way it has been proven effective by research is by increasing a child’s cognitive skills. When a child is first diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, they will likely be diagnosed as having a cognitive delay. Research shows that early invention services, such as applied behavior analysis, occupational, and speech therapy has helped increase IQ scores in children with autism spectrum disorder. In one study, children who received up to twenty hours a week of early intervention services had an average rise in IQ points of 17.6 (Solis, 2010). This increase in cognitive skills benefited children in the classroom setting. After receiving extensive early intervention treatment, children typically performed better on standardized testing. With an increase in cognitive skills and better achievement on standardized testing, children were able to be placed in less restrictive classroom settings (Smith, 199...
There is a wide range of socially significant behaviors, from the most simple to the more complex, that an ABA therapy may help cultivate. Reading, communication, intellectual and adaptive living skills make up these socially significant behaviors. By learning and mastering these, children with ASD will be more independent and capable of dealing with the challenges presented by daily life.
Many children with varying special needs such as, Down syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, or Asperger’s syndrome, have difficulties interacting with others in a social setting (Greenspan 1998, 5). All of these disorders can either impair a child’s ability to process or convey information, as well as limiting their motor ability. One kind of therapy thought to help and lessen these limitations is Sensory Integration Therapy. Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) is a form of therapy where the neurological processes in the brain are stimulated through the use of visual and tactile environmental factors; toys that have certain textures and flashing lights are what are commonly used in this type of practice. This in turn contributes
Autism is a disease. One of the main characteristics is having social problems. Children with Autism have trouble interacting with other children. They won’t play with other children. They could be so focus...
Children who suffer from ASD usually have the appearance of normal development and then become withdrawn and regress from social interaction (Melinda Smith, 2013). The impaired social interaction of the disorder affects communication both verbally and non- verbally (Melinda Smith, 2013). Their communication with others and the world around them is also affected, as well as their thinking and behavior (Melinda Smith, 2013).
Autism spectrum disorder has become the most common neurological and developmental disorder diagnosed in children today. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) estimate that 1 out of every 88 American children have been properly diagnosed. There is no known cure for autism, and the inconsistencies of the symptoms of autism in each case make it difficult to target a particular set of effective treatments. However some behavior management therapies, specifically physical therapy, may help to significantly control the unwanted symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorder.
9. Noh, D., Lim, J., Shin, H., & Paik, N. (2008). The effect of aquatic therapy on postural
Water aerobics has been a strong growing type of exercise for many age groups for years. Water aerobics is a combination of arm and leg movements done in water for beginners. This type of aerobic exercise is typically done for less than an hour. This includes the same type of program as land aerobics with warm up and cool down periods. Swimming exercise uses more of the overall muscle mass of the body than almost any other form of exercise. (Water aerobics, “What is water aerobics” section, para. 1)
“Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans. RWIs can also be caused by chemicals in the water or chemicals that evaporate from the water and cause indoor air quality problems. RWIs may include a wide variety of infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. Many RWIs (skin, ear, eye, respiratory, neurologic, wound, and other infections) are caused by germs that live naturally in the environment (for example, in water and soil)” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
In conclusion, Bintzler was correct in her statement, “Aquatic therapy is used as a technique to better a person's life physically, socially, physiologically or psychologically.” Not only what goes on in the water during a swimming or aquatic therapy session is inviting to all disabled people, but the assists available to them such as flotation devices, pool lifts, and stair systems (NCPAD.org) make swimming irresistible. After continuos success in the water, the disabled person will reach a new level of confidence that will eventually translate out of the water in his daily life. Moreover, he will be able to live a more confident, pain free life due to swimming therapy’s ability to empower a disabled person physically and mentally.