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childs play:Physiotherapy & Aquatics for kids

www.childsplayphysio.com.au

email: info@childsplayphysio.com.au

ph: 0410 715 518

Autism Spectrum Disorders


Autism Spectrum Disorders are a range of disorders that affect a child's communication, social skills and behaviour. The most well-known types of Autism Spectrum Disorders are autism and Asperger syndrome. Some children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder can appear awkward or clumsy in their motor skills and movement. These coordination difficulties, combined with communication, social skill and behavioural challenges, can impact on their learning more complex playground and sporting skills. Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder can find learning to swim in a group environment challenging due to the noise, splashing and unpredictable movements and playing of other children. The provision of 1:1 motor skill development sessions both on land and in the water, by experienced paediatric physiotherapists qualified in swim instruction methods for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, can lead to faster learning of these skills. All Childs Play Physiotherapists have additional post-graduate training in these two specialty areas.

How do I kn ow w heth er my child has coo rdin ation di ffi cul ti es?
Your child may display some or all of the following: poor balance eg tripping over their feet bumping into objects more accidents tiring easily difficulty linking movements into a sequence or more complicated activity avoiding physical activities lack of motivation difficulty learning new physical tasks slowness in performing and finishing tasks

A developmental and motor assessment by a paediatric physiotherapist can identify your childs movement and physical challenges.

What can I d o to assist my child s coo rdi natio n?


You can help your child to learn and practise the movements and motor skills which challenge him or her. For children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is essential to determine the most effective way of learning; movement is often learnt through sight/visual methods (see below).

Learning Movement
We all learn using our senses of sight, hearing, touch (combining touch, and the feeling of movement), taste and smell. In movement learning, the main sources of information that our brains use are visual (observation of someone else or ourselves moving), auditory (listening to a verbal instruction describing how to move) kinaesthetic (feeling what our body feels like when it moves or when someone moves our body for us)

To help your child to learn motor skills and movement components, it is important to use all of these senses. Children learn best if they practise frequently, for short periods, rather than in one big chunk of activity.

Visual/sight learning assistance:


demonstrate to your child a specific movement or activity have another child demonstrate the movement or activity reinforce your demonstration with the instruction to copy me or do the same as me use picture cards or videos/DVDs of people doing the movement/skill you are trying to teach use picture cards which break down the movement or activity into its component parts. Place the cards in a row in the correct order to complete the correct movement sequence

Auditory/hearing learning assistance:


minimise the use of verbal instructions, especially for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder be in a quiet area use clear, simple instructions avoid instructions with lots of steps keep your childs attention by varying the volume of your voice

Kinaesthetic/physical learning assistance:


use your hands to guide your childs arm/leg/body movements be precise - if you move your childs body/arms/legs in an awkward movement pattern, that is the movement they will learn some children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder can be exaggerated in their reaction to your hands-on guidance. They may seek out your touch or they may not like the sensation and avoid your physical assistance. If their reaction to the sensory input of your guidance distracts them from their learning, focus on visual learning strategies instead

Practising Movement
provide repeated experiences of the movements and appropriate skills to help your child learn ie PRACTICE makes perfect your child will need more time than most of their peers to learn a skill they will need many repetitions to fine-tune. Practise for short periods of time, frequently break down a skill or activity into much smaller parts. Use picture cards which show the movement parts in the correct sequence. Have your child practise the parts separately, then gradually link the parts together, in sequence until the whole skill is achieved

Which acti vities and mo vemen ts sho uld I teach and practi se wi th my child to h elp them th e mo st?
The key things to remember in any physical activity for your child are: make sure it is fun make sure it is achievable for your child make sure it is not too easy select a variety of activities do little bits and often for a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, work out the best way they learn. Tailor the way you teach to the way your child best learns. Try visual teaching methods first.

A paediatric physiotherapist can advise you on the most effective activities and teaching methods to meet the individual needs of your child. This is particularly important with regard to your childs flexibility. Determining whether your child needs muscle stretches is important in the development of quality movement. The following activities are examples of a range of land and aquatic/water based activities which may help you to assist your childs coordination.

Should er/ arm exercises for a child wi th Au tism Spectru m Disorder: On land:

Strength: push ups

Endurance: wheelbarrows

Coordination: climbing

In water:
Strength: pull-ups on barbell Endurance: dogpaddle Coordination: monkeys, freestyle, backstroke

Leg exerci ses fo r a child wi th Au ti sm Spectrum Disord er: On land:

Strength: squat jump from a raised surface

Endurance: repeated jumping/hopping

Flexibility (muscle length & joint movement): muscle stretches may be required: hip flexors, hamstrings, calves stabilising activities may be indicated: standing on 1 leg

Coordination: climbing

In water:
Strength: rockets Endurance: kicking on stomach, on back, on steps Flexibility (muscle length & joint movement): muscle stretches are often required: hip flexors, hamstrings, calves using mat, steps, wall to assist stabilising activities maybe indicated: standing on 1 with or without extra turbulence Coordination: monkeys, walking along a line, swim strokes

Trun k/ core exerci ses fo r a child wi th Au ti sm Spectru m Disorder: On land:


Strength: sit ups Endurance: push-me-over

Flexibility (muscle length & joint movement): muscle stretches are generally not indicated stabilising activities are often required: sitting or kneeling on a scooter board and propelling along using arms and/or legs Coordination: walking along a balance beam

In water:
Strength: sitting on steps or on floating mat, kicking using both legs at same time Endurance: kicking (without flippers for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, often they do not like the feel of the flippers on their feet Flexibility (muscle length & joint movement): muscle stretches are generally not indicated stabilising activities are indicated: sitting or kneeling on a floating mat and propelling along using arms and/or legs Coordination: all swim strokes, dolphin kick, maintaining sitting/kneeling balance on a floating mat

Sugg ested mo to r skill acti viti es fo r a child with an Au tism S pectrum Di so rd er:
There are two main things to remember: 1. how you can simplify the activity for your child - break the activity down into its component parts 2. how best to teach your child to in order to cater to his/her easiest way of learning

On land:
jumping: o bend knees o take-off at same time o straighten legs in air o feet touch-down at same time o knees bend on landing to absorb shock running catching throwing kicking hopping riding a bike t-ball

Sugg ested aqu atic acti vi ti es for a child wi th an Au tism S pectrum Di so rd er: In water:
learning breath control learning to enjoy the feeling of water and the feeling of ones body in water floating kicking swimming o dogpaddle o freestyle o backstroke o breaststroke o butterfly o survival backstroke The development of any childs swimming skills depends on their experiences, their exposure to water and the quality of the instruction they receive and this is no different for a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. For your childs safety and their motor skill development in the water (ie their swimming skill development), professional swim instruction by specialist qualified swim instructors (who have training and knowledge in the physical and learning challenges faced by children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder) is strongly recommended. There are no age-specific milestones with swimming. Each swimming skill is learned in sequence, starting with the development of basic water confidence activities, floating and progressing to the competitive swim strokes.

My ch ild h as an Au tism Sp ectru m Di so rd er. How can swi mming and aq uati c activiti es h elp my child s mo to r skill s o n l and ?
The aquatic environment provides a way of assisting your childs motor skill development because: it is FUN it provides scope for a huge variety of activities your child wont realise they are doing activities to assist their gross motor skills working with both the support of the water and its resistance, your child works physically harder, and can do this for longer without tiring. As they tire, their bodies are supported by the water, enabling them to practise for longer in order for your child to stay steady and stable in the water, they HAVE to use their core/trunk muscles. This helps them learn one of the core elements of movement development. All of the swimming strokes and kicking are excellent activities for developing core stability just by being in the water environment, your childs body has continuous sensory pressure on its surface. This kind of sensory input assists your child in knowing where their body, arms and legs are in space - it helps their body awareness. Many children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder enjoy the feel and the physical support that the water provides.

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