Effects of swimming training on physical fitness and water orientation in autism.

Autism is a severely incapacitating condition that typically appears during the first 3 years of life and is characterized by severe communication and other developmental and educational problems. Children with autism generally demonstrate poor motor skills. Consequently, rehabilitation programs should emphasize fundamental motor skills and patterns of movement, individual games and sports, and developmental activities that increase physical proficiency. 1,2 An important goal is to help autistic children to develop responses to stimuli in the environment. Swimming pool activities have been found to be successful in this regard. 3 The therapeutic use of water activities or swimming with autistic children is believed to facilitate language development and self-concept, and to improve adaptive behavior and provide an appropriate setting for early educational intervention. 4 While the literature indicates that many autistic children respond well to swimming activities; there are no reports about the effects of swimming on autistic childrens’ motor performance and physical fitness. The purpose of the this study was to determine the effects of water exercises and swimming on motor performance and physical fitness, and to observe the behavior of an autistic subject as he becomes familiar with the pool, and to observe the development of beginner swimming skills in children with autism.