Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to quantify and summarize the various aquatic interventions in children with disabilities, including studies of all levels of evidence. Forty-five intervention studies were included and were described within nine disability groups. The largest number of articles was found in the groups of "diseases and disabilities of the nervous system" (N = 15) and "mental and behavioral disorders" (N = 15). Swimming or aquatic interventions in children with sensory system and integration deficits, circulatory system problems, congenital malformations, and chromosomal abnormalities did not reveal any published literature. The categorization of aquatic interventions was difficult due to several concerns: the lack of common definitions, the absence of intervention details, individualized therapy or training plans without a decision-making model, different types of pools (temperature and depth), and an undefined mix of several intervention types. Training intensity was missing in 68% of the interventions.