Effectiveness of a 5-day adapted swim instruction program for children with disabilities.
Tana B Carson, J Megan Irwin, Tania Santiago Perez and 2 others
PMID 39829993WHAT IT FOUND
Most children with disabilities improved their swim skill level after a 5-day adapted camp.
Fearfulness stopped progress for many autistic children, while those with Down syndrome needed more practice time. Older children with Down syndrome showed greater improvement.
Key findings
0161.6% of participants progressed by at least one swim skill level over the 5-day program.
02Fearfulness was the most reported reason for non-progress in autistic participants, while needing more practice was the primary reason for those with Down syndrome.
03Age was a significant predictor of swim skill change for the Down syndrome group, with improvement increasing by 9.5% for each year of age.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was a secondary data analysis of a community program, not a controlled trial, so there was no comparison group to prove the camp caused the improvement. Swim skills were assessed by the same instructors who taught the lessons, and inter-rater reliability was not evaluated, which introduces potential bias. The study only measured progression between broad skill levels, missing subtle improvements in specific skills like breath control or water comfort. Participants who missed more than one session were excluded, and reasons for time out of water were not recorded, limiting the understanding of attendance factors. Water safety education outcomes were not measured, so the study cannot confirm improvements in safety knowledge or behaviors.
Declared interests
The study used deidentified data provided by iCan Shine, the organization running the camps. It was reviewed by an IRB as non-human subjects research. Funding details are not explicitly stated in the provided text beyond the source of the data.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this 5-day program is sufficient for all children with disabilities. A significant portion of participants did not progress, with fearfulness and lack of practice time being key barriers. The lack of a control group means we cannot rule out that natural maturation or other factors contributed to the observed improvements.