Active Ingredients & Efficacy of Aquatic Therapy for Autistic Children

NCT05524753 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2019H0204 Phase 2
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 37
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Accidental drowning is the number one cause of death in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and highlights the critical need for swim lessons and water safety training for this population. Our team has developed and tested an innovative, occupational therapy (OT) based aquatic program - AquOTic - that provides preliminary support for the use of an individualized swim skills training intervention in children with ASD. The AquOTic program uses a combination of sensory, motor learning, and behavioral approaches to improve water safety and swim skills. In this study, we will use a randomized control trial design to identify the efficacy of the AquOTic intervention to improve swim performance in children with ASD.

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in swim skills

  change in swim skills using Water Orientation Test-Alyn. A higher score means a better outcome. Minimum score 0, maximum score 71.

  baseline, pre-intervention; immediately after the intervention

• Questionnaire to track change in parent perception and satisfaction with progress on individualized family-centered goals

  Canadian Occupational Performance Measure to establish goals with parents and track performance and satisfaction with goals. A higher score indicates higher parent satisfaction and child performance on the goals.

  pre intervention, immediately after the intervention

• Parent Perspective

  qualitative interview regarding parent perspective of the intervention

  one time after at least 8 hours of the intervention has been provided to the child

Study Arms (2)

AquOTic

EXPERIMENTAL

Dose of 10 weeks of aquatic occupational therapy

Behavioral: AquOTic

Control

NO INTERVENTION

No intervention

Interventions

AquOTic BEHAVIORAL

group-based aquatic occupational therapy sessions with 1:1 support

AquOTic

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 5 Years - 9 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• pre-existing diagnosis of autism \& interest in learning to swim

You may not qualify if:

• able to float or move through the water for 5-10 feet without assistance.
• presence of compromised airway such as trachea or ventilation system
• other contraindication to submersion in water.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ohio State University: lead
• American Occupational Therapy Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

The Ohio State University

Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Kemp E, Nikahd M, Howard M, Darragh A, Crasta JE. Improving water competency among children on the autism spectrum: the AquOTic randomized controlled trial. Front Pediatr. 2024 Oct 7;12:1473328. doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1473328. eCollection 2024.

  PMID: 39435387 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Outcome assessors are blinded to whether or not the client received the intervention or control/waitlist.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor, Clinical

Model Details: This study uses a waitlist control group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 30, 2022
• First Posted: September 1, 2022
• Study Start: August 4, 2022
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2023
• Study Completion: August 1, 2023
• Last Updated: October 24, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)