1. Summary
This twenty-one week program was designed to see the effects of swimming on children with Autism. The weeks were broken up into two, ten week sessions and one, one week transition period. The researcher, Pan Chien-Yu, wanted to see how swimming affected the children’s social skills and swimming skills.
2. Methods and Subjects
Children’s skills were assessed at the beginning of the twenty-one week program. They were then assessed once during the study and again at the end of the ten week program. They were able to become comfortable in the water as well. The program was divided into two, ten week sections and a one week transition period. One of the ten week programs was a control week. The next ten week program was the water exercise swimming program. During the water exercise swimming program, they completed floor activities which lasted twenty minutes, one-to-two instruction which lasted forty minutes, group activities which lasted twenty minutes, and cool down activities which lasted ten minutes. The floor activities were warm up exercises that got participants ready for the next activity. The one-to-two instruction was one instructor to two children. This promoted social skills and skills relating to swimming. According to Chien-Yu, this was the most helpful way for instructors and students to interact. It was a way for the kids to participant and learn at their own pace. The group activities and games were a way for all kids to get to know one another and further promote …show more content…
They were ages six to nine with mild diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorder or Asperger’s. One main criteria that all participant’s had to meet was the ability for them to follow directions. This was essential for the researchers to ensure the safety of all participants and staff. The parent’s also had to give their consent. All participants attend an inclusive school where they receive special assistance in and out of their assigned