About Us
Nov. 14, 2024
Author: Lisa Lopez Snyder
An occupational therapy (OT)-based swim class for autistic children is proving to be a positive and popular opportunity to teach water safety and to build young swimmers’ confidence in and out of the pool.
Erika Kemp, OTD, OTR/L, BCP clinical associate professor in The Ohio State University School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, developed the AquOTic program in 2019 after hearing from parents who were seeking opportunities for their children to learn to swim in a safe environment that considers their sensory and motor needs. The issue is critical, considering that drowning is the No. 1 cause of unintentional death among those on the autism spectrum, according to the National Autism Association.
Dr. Kemp says the idea initially grew out of her providing OT in the water to simply address traditional OT goals.
“As OTs, our goal is to try and help people participate in their desired occupations – anything you do to occupy your time. For families, that often means a swimming vacation, like going to pools, lakes and ponds.”
The program’s pilot program began with 8 children in 2019 and Dr. Kemp encouraged her OT students to help lead the sessions. “They loved it,” she says.
Now a part of the HRS Connects program, which supports community engagement, the therapeutic aquatic program is made up of 10-week, 50-minute sessions offered at the Dublin Community Center and is open to any child with a developmental disability.
Instruction is both individualized and group therapy-focused for the 14 participants, two groups of 7 children ages 5-11. Each child is paired one-on-one with their own skilled OT student instructor — a “swim buddy” — and each group is led by an OT.
The children learn a specific swim or water safety skill as a group, and then individually rotate with their swim buddy among six different stations in the pool where the buddies adjust the activity to the child’s level and address goals individually established with the parents.
In week 10, parents join their child in the pool. “We teach the parents the verbal and physical cues we’ve been using so that they can continue on their own,” Dr. Kemp says.
Natalie and Josh Halter’s son Reece, age 6 1/2, has been in the swim program for over a year. They particularly appreciate being able to work with Dr. Kemp and her students to set goals for Reece, whether that be, for example, holding his breath under water, jumping in from the side of the pool or being able to exit safely on his own.
Natalie notes that when the family goes on their own to the pool, “Reece now knows he can bounce – and that’s a skill he’s learned,” she says. “He’s also really motivated to get ready to swim, and afterward, his body is very calm.”
The program’s unintended side effects are also impactful, Josh adds. “To see the OT students have a laugh and to enjoy my son engaging— and for him to share in that joy — is really special to watch.”
Dr. Kemp says more than 100 families are on the waiting list for the AquOTic program, which has enrolled 60 students since it started.
The outcome is good, Dr. Kemp says. “About 80 percent of the goals we set with families are being met, which is great.
“And while most of the kids are not yet in one session at what the Red Cross would call water competent — being able to resurface after falling in the water, turn around, swim to an exit and get out of the pool — we know that all the kids are making progress.”