Improvements in Swim Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Following a 5-Day Adapted Learn-To-Swim Program (iCan Swim)

Abstract

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children and teenagers. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at increased risk for drowning. Improvements in swim skills have been observed in children with ASD participating in learn-to-swim programs. However, it is unclear if age, co-occurring conditions, and/or the dose of practice influence swim skills in this population. To this end, a secondary data analysis of iCan Swim program data was conducted to determine the efficacy of the 5-day adapted learn-to-swim program for a cohort of children with ASD ages 3–16 years (n = 86). Participant swim level was evaluated at the start and end of the program. Linear mixed-effects regression was used to examine the effects of Time (start/end), Age, Dose of Swim Practice (i.e., total time–time out of the water), and ADHD status on the overall swim level. Participants significantly increased the swim level from the beginning to the end of the program (B = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.52–0.74), and participants with ASD and co-occurring ADHD had greater swim levels regardless of Time than those without ADHD (B = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.05–0.84). Overall, iCan Swim is effective in improving the swim skills of children and teenagers with ASD.

A systematic review of demographic and background factors associated with the development of children’s aquatic competence

“…Fourteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria (Petrass et al 2021 ; Willcox-Pidgeon et al 2021 ; Peden et al 2017 ; Calverley et al 2021 ; Forde et al 2020 ; Franklin et al 2015 ; Lawson et al 2012 ; Mercado et al 2016 ; Moran and Gilmore 2018 ; Munn et al 2021 ; Olaisen et al 2018 ; Peden et al 2020 ; Pratt et al 2021 ; Terzidis et al 2007 ) and encompassed research in five countries: Australia (n = 6), United States of America (n = 5), England (n = 1), Greece (n = 1) and New Zealand (n = 1). Participants were aged between 1 and 17 years, with most aged between 5 and 14 years (see Additional file 1 : Table S1, for study characteristics).…”

“…Risk of bias assessments deemed six studies to be at very high risk (Forde et al 2020 ; Franklin et al 2015 ; Mercado et al 2016 ; Munn et al 2021 ; Peden et al 2020 ), and eight studies to be at high risk (Petrass et al 2021 ; Willcox-Pidgeon et al 2021 ; Peden et al 2017 ; Calverley et al 2021 ; Lawson et al 2012 ; Moran and Gilmore 2018 ; Olaisen et al 2018 ; Pratt et al 2021 ; Terzidis et al 2007 ) (Additional file 1 : Table S2). Studies were commonly subject to bias in regard to confounding, selection of participants, and measurement of exposure and outcome.…”

“…Educational interventions differed across quasi-experimental studies regarding content, duration, and study populations. Interventions were delivered intensively for five consecutive days (Forde et al 2020 ; Lawson et al 2012 ; Munn et al 2021 ), weekly for eight to ten weeks (Petrass et al 2021 ; Calverley et al 2021 ; Olaisen et al 2018 ), and one intervention involved a one-day water safety event (Terzidis et al 2007 ). Three studies reported on tailored interventions to children with developmental disabilities (Munn et al 2021 ), children living in a regional area (Calverley et al 2021 ), and Spanish-speaking Latino children (Olaisen et al 2018 ).…”

“…These standards included: the VWSC (Life Saving Victoria 2022 ); the (Australian) National Swimming and Water Safety Benchmark ( 2019 ); and England’s National Curriculum (Swim England 2020 ). Some studies referred to less formal benchmarks, including the Swim Central skills assessment checklist (Forde et al 2020 ), and the iCan Swim assessment (Munn et al 2021 ), and others (Lawson et al 2012 ; Mercado et al 2016 ; Moran and Gilmore 2018 ; Olaisen et al 2018 ; Terzidis et al 2007 ). Assessments were age-dependent and explored a combination of the following skills: safe entry and exit, submersion, flotation and sculling, swimming strokes, underwater swimming, and rescue skills (Australian Water Safety Council 2021 ; Petrass et al 2021 ; Willcox-Pidgeon et al 2021 ; Calverley et al 2021 ; Forde et al 2020 ; Franklin et al 2015 ; Mercado et al 2016 ; Munn et al 2021 ; Olaisen et al 2018 ; Peden et al 2020 ; Pratt et al 2021 ).…”

“…Assessors for swimming and water safety skill and knowledge ranged from researchers to swimming instructors and program deliverers. Studies measured swimming skills (Willcox-Pidgeon et al 2021 ; Mercado et al 2016 ; Munn et al 2021 ; Olaisen et al 2018 ; Pratt et al 2021 ), water safety knowledge (Peden et al 2017 ; Lawson et al 2012 ; Moran and Gilmore 2018 ; Terzidis et al 2007 ), or both swimming skills and water safety knowledge (Petrass et al 2021 ; Calverley et al 2021 ; Forde et al 2020 ; Franklin et al 2015 ; Peden et al 2020 ).…”