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ADAPTED AQUATICS FOR CHILDREN
WITH DISABILITIES: FOCUS ON AUTISM AND
CEREBRAL PALSY
By Alceste
Laurenti, Undergraduate
Student, University of Florida
 People
everyday are inhibited by their differences.
In a country where everyone is equal,
many children, because of physical and
mental disadvantages, do not get the
chance to do activities they would like
to do. Every person, no matter the disadvantage,
can do a lot if they are willing to
try. Many activities, such as adapted
aquatics, empower people with disabilities
to achieve their goals.
Adapted aquatics
have been a rehabilitory activity since
the 1900’s (Conatser,
2009). The common use was for
rehabilitation, but it has morphed into
so much more. Water is a magical medium
that helps people with disabilities
be able to walk, jump, and play in a
safe way. This buoyancy makes a person
ninety percent lighter in the water,
which makes some individuals who would
not be able to walk on land be able
to take steps in the water (Inverarity,
2008).
By the 1970’s
after the first Special Olympics, the
Red Cross and YMCA made a programming
book describing some of the difficulties
one may face while instructing adapted
aquatics (Conatser,
2009). This led to actual certification
for instructors in adapted aquatics
and letting others know about the benefits
this brings to children and adults with
disabilities. Out of all adapted programs,
over one hundred million people are
now actively participating in adapted
aquatics (Conatser,
2009). This activity can make
various disabilities, both physical
and mental, more bearable and even lessen
some of the problems associated with
the disability.
Adapted aquatics
may be helpful to those with cerebral
palsy. Cerebral palsy is a term
referring to a group of motor impairments,
mainly caused by damage to a developing
brain, and hinders voluntary movement
and posture (Stopka,
2008). The risk for cerebral
palsy occurs before, during, or after
birth (Spastic
Centre, 2009). This disability
is one of the leading causes of motor
impairment (Madden,
2009). With cerebral palsy, life
expectancy is that of a normal average
life span, except for the most severe
cases (Madden,
2009).
People with
cerebral palsy have a range of physical
conditions, mainly depending on the
severity of the condition. Some of the
most common manifestations are spasticity,
athetosis,
and ataxia
(Stopka, 2008).
Spasticity is formed when muscles are
too rigid and are hypertonic.
In athetosis,
also known as dyskinetic, the disability
shows through abnormal movements and
also tends to affect speech, though
it does not deal with cognitive defects.
In the last example, ataxia,
the disability shows through poor gross
motor skills because of the affects
on the cerebellum (Stopka,
2008). Some people with cerebral
palsy may not be able to walk depending
on the part of the body that is affected.
Some common
terms describing affected areas of the
body are hemiplegia,
diplegia,
and quadriplegia.
Only one side of the body is affected
with Hemiplegia (Spastic
Centre, 2009). Diplegia, on the
other hand, causes the affliction to
occur in both the legs and the arms,
with the legs affected much more. Quadriplegia
is where the whole body is affected
(Stopka, 2008).
With this being the case, exercise needs
to be adapted individually for each
person. Adaptations change the activity
so that all individuals, no matter how
they are disabled, can join in. A common
example is seen in volleyball with the
lowering of the net.
With cerebral
palsy, one of the most popular alternative
therapies is adapted aquatics. Some
of the benefits are improvement in respiratory
function, improvement in heart rate
and pressure, and better balance and
walking abilities on land (Getz,
2006). A study was done by Mackinnon
who found great "before and after"
improvement in balance and walking abilities
in 8 year old children with cerebral
palsy who used aquatic therapy (Getz,
2006). Mackinnon used the Gross
Motor Function Measures to find
differences before and after aquatic
therapy (Getz,
2006). Although mainly case studies
show improvement for children using
aquatic therapy, and not hard evidence
that can be applied to all children,
it's exercise that will help a child
emotionally and physically.
In my own
experience with adapted aquatics, I
worked with a child with cerebral palsy.
He has been going to a local group named
Noah’s
Endeavor for two years. While in
the program (his mom stated) he has
been able to learn to walk better in
the pool and learn balance. Now he can
walk into the pool area without any
hindrances. Adapted aquatics empower
these children to know that they are
able to walk and play without the pull
of gravity working against them. Adapted
aquatics give the child many activities
they can try. They can dive down under
the water and feel weightless, they
may be able to use their arms and legs
for the first time, or they may just
enjoy floating freely in the water.
As long as they have a will, there is
a way.
Another disability
that adapted aquatics can help is autism.
Autism is a mental disability that appears
during a child's first three years of
life. Autism is a spectrum disorder,
having multiple degrees and no known
cause (National
Health Council, 2008). People
generally tend to accept that autism
is an affliction of the brain and caused
by abnormalities in brain function.
Although no genes have been found to
cause autism, it's thought to be hereditary.
One out of every hundred ten children
in America has autism, according to
the Autism Society. A child cannot outgrow
or reach an age that the autism will
just go away, but autism can be treated
and there's interventions with early
diagnosis (National
Health Council, 2008). Some symptoms
of autism in children include a delay
in spoken language, a repetition in
language or in manners, a lack of eye
contact, lack of interest in others,
and lack of make-believe play, etc (National
Health Council, 2008).
These symptoms,
especially motor mannerisms, can interfere
with positive social behavior and positive
learning. Structured aerobic exercise
helps by giving a way to improve attention
span and work performance (Mitchell,
1997). Adapted aquatics is an
exercise that has a structured aerobic
backbone. The teacher is maintaining
eye contact the student’s attention
while in the water. Even though the
child with autism may not always be
able to communicate to the instructor
with language, they will learn to communicate
through other sources, such as signaling,
pointing, and with their eyes.
Another experience
occurred for me at Noah’s
Endeavor on a separate occasion.
One of the times I came, I worked with
an austistic child named Xander. Xander
was a very happy, joyful boy. He had
been doing adapted aquatics for about
a year. All Xander wanted to do was
be held in the water and spin. He would
communicate what he wanted by doing
circles with his fingers, and spinning
by himself in the water, and pointing
at his buddy. Through this program,
he learned to have more efficient communication
skills without language, and he also
became very social. He even went through
the steps to show me how to use the
water fountain. I found that the adapted
aquatics gave him an outlet for all
his abundant energy. Adapted aquatics
gave him a place to learn and exercise
at the same time.
Adapted Aquatics
is a wonderful alternative treatment
where people with mental or physical
disabilities can have fun and also learn.
Some of the challenges for adapted aquatics
are specific adapted equipment instruction,
which methods are best suited to which
disability, and regular swim programs
versus adapted programs (Conatser,
2009). Without specific instruction,
the specialized equipment for adapted
aquatics may not be easily used or accessible.
Some problems regarding pool use might
be wheel chair lifts. These are not
always located at all pools and sometimes
the management does not teach the lifeguards
how to maintain and use them. This would
create a hazard for those involved in
adapted aquatics, and may prevent people
with disabilities using the pool safely.
Instuctors
may find it difficulty to know which
method is best used when teaching aquatics.
The best method of teaching may be unclear
(Conatser, 2009).
The instructor might go on a case-by-case
teaching method with each person based
on what they can handle. Some may come
into the water not knowing how to swim,
and others may arrive in their wheel
chairs, but be like 'fish in the water.'
Regular
swim programs may not always be able
to adapt classes for the child or adult
with a disability. Each person is special,
and each person should have their needs
addressed on a case-by-case basis. The
extra attention and safety precautions
an adapted aquatics class/instructor
will take can help the person with disability
learn skills that can be used in daily
life. A regular swim program does not
always conduct their classes for the
same reasons.
Overall,
adapted aquatics give people with disabilities
new experiences. The water is magical
for the benefits that are provided.
Aquatic therapy can help people walk
who may not have walked, it teaches
self-control and lengthens attention
spans, and also helps empower the individual.
"Let
me win. But if I cannot win, let me
be brave in the attempt"
(Kennedy, 2009).
(nice
YouTube video)
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