Adapted Aquatics

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Adapted Aquatics
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Why the Water?

• What are some possible benefits of including
  aquatics for student with disabilities?
• Focus your responses more for a pull-out setting.
  

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Why the Water

• Kids (students) generally love the water
• Safety if possible everyone should be able to
  stay afloat
• Great form of cardiovascular exercise involving
  the whole body
• Develop lifelong skills and feelings of
  accomplishment/self-worth
• Freeing environment, help foster independence
  (leave the wheelchair and the crutches on the
  side)
• Therapeutic pools (88-92 degrees) help relieve
  pain and promotes relaxation and joint mobility
• Contraindicated for MS

• Immersion in water improves
• Stroke volume, cardiac output, work of breathing,
  oxygen delivery, blood flow
• Increase range of motion
• Reeducation of paralyzed muscles
• Improved muscle strength and endurance
• Stimulates the senses (skin balance, visual,
  auditory)
• Can be too much for students with autism

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Pre-instruction

• Plan lessons with goals and objectives related to
  IEP and based upon assessment data
• Considerations
• Is the water or air too cold?
• Is there too much going on in the pool/noise?
• Is there enough room for teachers, assistants,
  participants and equipment?
• Lifeguards/safety?

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Equipment Available
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Equipment Available
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Equipment Available

• PFDs
• Assistive device when used supplementally
• Flotation devices sometimes gets in the way of
  strokes
• Sometimes used as babysitters.

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Planning What to Teach?

• Learn to Swim
• Special Olympics
• Levels of Competency
• Sherrill Model

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Planning YMCA Progressive Swim Levels and What
You Might Assess

• Personal safety.
• Knowledge of entry and exit
• Knowledge of personal limits
• Pool rules
• Deep vs. Shallow

• Personal growth.
• What are their goals
• Show me what you can do

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Planning YMCA Progressive Swim Levels and What
You Might Assess

• Stroke development
• Assess typical strokes
• Crawl, sidestroke, breast, back
• Rescue
• Reaching
• Extending
• Throwing

• Water sports and games
• Can they sit on a noodle?
• Get on a raft or tube?
• Throw a ball to another with balance?

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Getting into the Water - Independent Transfers
Forward Pivot
Sliding Board Transfer
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Getting into the Water - Dependent Transfers
Standard Lift
Arms-through lift
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Getting into the Water
Ramps and stairs (ADA compliant)
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Getting into the Water
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Getting into the Water
Tot dock sits in the shallow end of the pool
Wet the mat and slide the student into the water
(safe, fast, and inexpensive)
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STRATEGIES TO COMMUNICATE

• Establish a relationship and trust
• What is the persons primary language
• Check for understanding following explanations

• Demonstrations
• Photos, picture exchange
• Simplify language
• 1 direction at a time
• Ask person to repeat if you dont understand
• Communication board

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Teaching Strategies/ Ideas
Hand over hand guide through the movements
Visual display of activities or tasks to complete
Surfing
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Teaching Strategies/ Ideas
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Teaching Strategies/ Ideas
Flotation with hand over hand (again)
Assisted Ambulation
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Teaching Strategies/Ideas
Vital capacity (lung)
Diving lead-up
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Sample Activities - see linked file
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Resistance Exercises

• Moving arm through the water
• Add resistance through a webbed glove, holding a
  lolli-pop paddle, etc

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Resources

• http//www.twu.edu/inspire/aquatics.htm
• http//www.aahperd.org/aapar/
• Adapted Aquatics Programming by Lepore, Gayle
  Stevens