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Effects of Aquatic Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Social Competence and Quality of Life: A Mixed Methods Study.

ABSTRACT: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a constellation of social deficits and repetitive sensory-motor behaviours. Aquatic therapy (AT) may be effective in improving the social interactions and behaviours in children with ASD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of an AT program on social competence and quality of life and to understand participant's experiences related to the intervention by obtaining qualitative data. A mixed methods intervention study was conducted among 6 children with ASD and their parents, with two research phases in a concurrent embedded design (an aquatic intervention as the quantitative design and a qualitative design in second step). The intervention and qualitative design followed international guidelines and were integrated into the method and reporting subheadings. Significant improvement was observed in the physical competence (p = 0.026) and important improvements in school functioning and aquatic skills, with no adverse events. Qualitative findings described: the meaning of AT intervention, patterns of behaviour and activities changes, social communication and social interaction. The aquatic intervention showed positive results for the social and physical competence, with elements of discordance, expansion, and confirmation between quantitative and qualitative results.

SUBMITTER: Gueita-Rodriguez J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8002945 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of Aquatic Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Social Competence and Quality of Life: A Mixed Methods Study.

Güeita-Rodríguez Javier J Ogonowska-Slodownik Anna A Morgulec-Adamowicz Natalia N Martín-Prades Mar Lledó ML Cuenca-Zaldívar Juan Nicolás JN Palacios-Ceña Domingo D

International journal of environmental research and public health 20210318 6

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a constellation of social deficits and repetitive sensory-motor behaviours. Aquatic therapy (AT) may be effective in improving the social interactions and behaviours in children with ASD. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of an AT program on social competence and quality of life and to understand participant's experiences related to the intervention by obtaining qualitative data. A mixed methods intervention study was conducted among 6 chil ...[more]

PMID: 33803581

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Project description:This article delves into the intricate relationship between oral health, quality of life, and behavioral characteristics in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Background/Objectives: Autism has been associated with various challenges, and this study seeks to elucidate the impact of ASD on oral health outcomes and overall well-being. The research focuses on assessing overall oral health by evaluating various parameters, such as the condition of lips, tongue, gums and tissues, natural teeth, dentures, oral hygiene, and dental pain in individuals with ASD. Additionally, the study explores the influence of age, sex, and certain variables, like basic daily living skills on oral health practices, aiming to identify potential correlations between these factors and oral health outcomes. Methods: We employed standardized instruments to quantitatively measure and analyze the impact of oral health status on the overall quality of life experienced by individuals with ASD. Results: The study found a statistically significant positive association between oral health, measured by the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT), and quality of life, as indicated by EuroQol 5-Dimensions Youth version (EQ-5D-Y) total scores (β = 0.13045, p = 0.00271). This suggests that better oral health is linked to higher quality of life. When adjusting for age and sex in a multiple linear regression model, the association remained significant but with a slightly reduced effect size (β = 0.10536, p = 0.0167). Age also showed a marginally significant positive association with quality-of-life scores. ANOVA results indicated that participants with advanced oral health status reported significantly higher quality-of-life scores than those with poorer oral health (p = 0.00246). The study also found that intelligence quotient (IQ) does not substantially influence dental health status, while the "Autonomy" subscale of the EQ-5D-Y is positively related to the OHAT. Conclusions: Unhealthy oral conditions significantly impact the overall quality of life in individuals with ASD. Therefore, it is crucial to include regular dental assessments and treatments in therapeutic protocols for patients with ASD.

Project description:Current literature is divided over whether and how processes such as perspective taking and reward sensitivity differ between individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) versus neurotypical individuals. Discounting tasks may provide novel insight into how these processes operate. In delay discounting tasks, participants choose between smaller immediate rewards and larger delayed rewards, and in social discounting tasks, participants choose between a smaller monetary rewards for themselves versus a larger reward for partners of varied social distance (e.g., a close friend vs. an acquaintance). Delay and social discounting tasks thus implicitly measure the subjective value of rewards given to one's future self and to others, capturing constructs such as perspective taking, reward processing, and social closeness, all of which have been discussed as core cognitive mechanisms underlying ASD. Despite extensive research on discounting in other clinical populations, few studies have examined delay discounting in ASD and no research has examined social discounting in ASD. The goal of the current study was to assess delay and social discounting for monetary rewards in a single sample of adolescents and adults with ASD compared to a matched neurotypical sample. Overall, adults and adolescents with ASD valued both future rewards and rewards given to others less than their typical counterparts did, but rates of discounting were not significantly correlated across temporal and social domains. These results extend an important behavioral paradigm for understanding both perspective taking and reward processing to autism. Autism Res 2019, 12: 870-877. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Discounting tasks-which experimentally measure the subjective value of different rewards-have been used with a variety of clinical populations, but are underexplored in ASD. We found that compared to neurotypical individuals, individuals with ASD showed diminished subjective value for future rewards (compared to immediate rewards) and rewards for others (compared to rewards for self). This finding has implications for understanding perspective taking, reward processing, and social closeness in ASD.

Project description:BackgroundMore refined dimensions of social-communication impairment are needed to elucidate the clinical and biological boundaries of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other childhood onset psychiatric disorders associated with social difficulties, as well as to facilitate investigations in treatment and long-term outcomes of these disorders.MethodsThis study was intended to identify separable dimensions of clinician-observed social-communication impairments by examining scores on a widely used autism diagnostic instrument. Participants included verbally fluent children ages 3-13 years, who were given a clinical diagnosis of ASD (n = 120) or non-ASD (i.e. ADHD, language disorder, intellectual disability, mood or anxiety disorder; n = 118) following a comprehensive diagnostic assessment. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis examined the factor structure of algorithm items from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), Module 3.ResultsResults indicated that a three-factor model consisting of repetitive behaviors and two separate social-communication behavior factors had superior fit compared to a two-factor model that included repetitive behaviors and one social-communication behavior factor. In the three-factor model, impairments in 'Basic Social-Communication' behaviors (e.g. eye contact, facial expressions, gestures) were separated from impairments in 'Interaction quality.' Confirmatory factor analysis in an independent sample of children in the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) further supported the division of social-communication impairments into these two factors. Scores in Interaction Quality were significantly associated with nonverbal IQ and male sex in the ASD group, and with age in the non-ASD group, while scores in basic social communication were not significantly associated with any of these child characteristics in either diagnostic group.ConclusionsEfforts to conceptualize level, or severity, of social-communication impairment in children with neurodevelopmental disorders might be facilitated by separating the most basic (or proximal) social-communication impairments from those that could arise from a range of other phenotypic variables. Identification of social-communication subdimensions also highlights potential avenues for measuring different types of social-communication impairments for different purposes (e.g. for differential diagnosis vs. response to treatment).

Dataset Information

Effects of Aquatic Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Social Competence and Quality of Life: A Mixed Methods Study.

Publications

Effects of Aquatic Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Social Competence and Quality of Life: A Mixed Methods Study.

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