Aquatic Developmental Play Program for Children in Early Intervention: A Case Series

Background: Despite limited evidence, aquatic programming has the potential to be an ideal intervention for young children with disabilities because of its unique and dynamic properties. This study explored the impact of an aquatic developmental play program in addressing sensory integration and mot...

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Published inThe open journal of occupational therapy Vol. 10; no. 2; pp. 1 - 18
Main Authors Butzman, Brynn N, Lau, Cynthia, Vanier, Cheryl
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Kalamazoo Western Michigan University, Department of Occupational Therapy 01.04.2022
Western Michigan University
Scholarworks @ WMU
Subjects
autism
Child development
Children with disabilities
Disabled children
Early intervention
Motor ability
Occupational therapy
Parenting
Pediatrics
Play therapy
Sensory perception
therapy
Water
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Summary:Background: Despite limited evidence, aquatic programming has the potential to be an ideal intervention for young children with disabilities because of its unique and dynamic properties. This study explored the impact of an aquatic developmental play program in addressing sensory integration and motor development needs of children with disabilities as well as its impact on parental isolation. Methods: A case series design was used. Children with disabilities under 3 years of age and their parents participated in a 9-week aquatic developmental play program held in the community. Goals were individualized for each participant and monitored using the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) method. The Sensory Profle 2, the Developmental Assessment of Young Children-Second Edition (DAYC-2), and a Parent Support Survey were administered before and after the study. Results: Seventy-nine percent of the individual goals were met or exceeded expectations among the 11 participants with categorical changes observed on the Sensory Profle 2 and the DAYC-2. Parental satisfaction with services increased and parental feelings of isolation decreased following the aquatic play program. Conclusion: The results suggest that aquatic programming held in the community may be benefcial not only for the individual needs of children with disabilities but also for the needs of parents. Keywords autism, occupational therapy, pediatrics, therapy
ISSN:2168-6408
2168-6408
DOI:10.15453/2168-6408.1833