Swimming & Autism Spectrum Disorder: Ultimate Guide for Adults and Kids

Unfortunately, many individuals with autism struggle with motor skills-related issues daily. This encompasses problems with both fine motor skills—those involved with writing or tying shoelaces—and gross motor skills—those involved with running or jumping. These struggles can affect everyday tasks and may lead to frustration or avoidance of certain activities altogether.

General muscle hypotonia is a leading cause of poor muscular strength and endurance in many children & and adults with autism spectrum, which may potentially impact their participation in physical activities and recreational sports that entail physical exertion or effort for any considerable period.

Minshew, Turner, and Goldstein (2004) emphasized the issue, stating that it can lead to potential long-term limitations, restricting many autistic individuals from fun activities that require a certain level of fitness, which is not only important for health but also for being able to interact and enjoy life socially.

Cognitive and learning problems make up the bulk of the issues experienced by children with autism. These impairments affect their processing of information and solving problems, ultimately impairing learning new skills. Research has proven the challenges and subtleties of these cognitive impairments, which calls for specialization in educational approaches and interventions.

Ashwood et al. (2016) conducted a particularly influential study on the cognitive profiles of children with autism, discovering a high variability in cognitive abilities from below-average to above-average levels. These findings suggest that autism significantly affects memory retention, attention to detail, and generalization of information from one context to another.

Furthermore, Keen, Webster, and Ridley (2016) researched learning difficulties directly associated with autism, such as difficulties in executive functioning and central coherence. All these cognitive challenges might make task planning and organization difficult and present difficulties in grasping the big picture in complex scenarios.

Obesity is significantly more prevalent among adults & children with autism, which needs to be factored in as a health risk that predisposes an individual to other health issues like diabetes and hypertension.

The study by Curtin et al., 2010 underlines that it is of utmost importance to lifestyle, behavioral, and environmental change. It repeatedly returns our attention to the power of supportive habits based on a balanced diet and regular physical activity.

Obesity is significantly more prevalent among adults & children with autism, which needs to be factored in as a health risk that predisposes an individual to other health issues like diabetes and hypertension.

The study by Curtin et al., 2010 underlines that it is of utmost importance to lifestyle, behavioral, and environmental change. It repeatedly returns our attention to the power of supportive habits based on a balanced diet and regular physical activity.

Areas of significant difficulty for children and adults with autism include insufficient social skills and high anxiety.

Social difficulties often include impairments in the decoding and understanding social cues, nonverbal information, and the processing of social interactions; when combined, they typically lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Most autistic people find it difficult to conceptualize the theory of mind, which means the ability to understand that other people have thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and intentions that are different from their own. These challenges may lead to misunderstandings in social interaction and difficulty forming and maintaining relationships.

Anxiety is a prevalent co-morbid condition with autism, and it further compounds social difficulties. High anxiety in adults and children with autism often leads to avoidance behavior due to fear of judgment, rejection, or failure in a social situation. It leads to a lack of social initiative to cultivate social growth and improve quality of life.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among children with autism, and many studies have shown this increased prevalence and its causes. Scientific research helps us understand these risks and guides the development of effective preventive measures.

From the critical study of Guan and Li (2017), we get to see a piece of solid evidence that drowning risks increase for children with autism. We find that a child with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis has increased odds of drowning by 160 times more than an average child.

This huge number can be attributed to several behavior characteristics that children with ASD might have; they include elopement or wandering from safe places, a fascination or attraction to water bodies, and, more often, an underestimation of the dangers associated with it.

Regular swimming was found to increase muscle strength because of water's natural resistance. Water provides much more resistance than air with no impact on joints, so every swim and every movement is like a little workout that requires no weights.

For adults & children with autism spectrum disorder who struggle with low muscle tone, swimming is an excellent physical activity that helps build muscle strength in a supportive, low-stress environment.

General well-being and engagement in everyday activities are boosted through improved motor skills. A study conducted by Yanardag et al. (2013) focused on the benefit of structured aquatic activities, particularly swimming programs, to improve the motor skills of children with autism spectrum disorders.

The research concluded that the children exposed to the swimming program experienced significant improvements in fine and gross motor skills.

Research conducted by Yilmaz, Yanardag, Birkan, and Bumin in 2004 revealed promising findings that swimming can significantly enhance body balance and coordination in people with autism spectrum disorders.

Swimming places the body in an unusual environment where fluid dynamics imply constant adjustment to its position. Unlike static solid ground, water is a medium requiring constant balancing of the body to adjust to less predictable changes in dynamics.

This unique sensory experience engages and strengthens the vestibular system responsible for balance and proprioceptive feedback mechanisms. Thus, swimming builds muscles and trains the neuromuscular system to react and stabilize the body more effectively—even on land!

A study conducted in 2017 by Alaniz and colleagues looked at aquatic environments and how they can ease sensory sensitivity, a widespread problem for people with autism.

The controlled sensory environment provided by the pool water exerts a uniform hydrostatic pressure over the entire body. Alaniz and colleagues described that constant pressure applied by the water significantly decreased incoming sensory input, which provided a calming effect on the nervous system.

It further points out that buoyancy reduces the effect of gravity and creates a sensation of weightlessness, which is highly beneficial for people experiencing distress from contact with certain textures. This floating sensation reduces the levels of anxiety and stress experienced due to sensory integration and processing issues, making water exercise swimming programs an enjoyable form of physical activity for adults and children with autism spectrum disorders.

In 2011, Ennis discussed the social advantages of swimming for children with autism, studying participation in group swim lessons and how they can potentially enhance the social skills of autistic children.

In her research, Ennis found that group swimming lessons in a pool provided a more socially structured yet flexible environment that was inviting for all, including children on the autism spectrum.

During these lessons, the children with autism are exposed to different types of social interactions: following shared rules, taking turns, and other cooperative activities—all in the context of learning to swim. The supportive & encouraging environment provided by the swim instructor, combined with social interactions with peers, showed significant improvement in social development.

Swimming lessons play a critical role in reducing the risk of drowning for all children, particularly children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are at an increased risk. Targeted swimming programs for children with ASD teach basic swimming skills and provide essential water safety information, reducing the risk of drowning.

A conducted by Alaniz, Rosenberg, Beard, and Rosario in 2017 showed that structured swimming programs could successfully teach children with autism how to respond during water emergencies, increase comfort in the water, and improve overall aquatic skills. Such goals are often organized around skills like floating, treading water, and moving to the side of the pool, which are essential to avoid drowning. The structure of these lessons makes children with ASD learn in an environment designed to cater to their unique learning and sensory needs, making the lesson more effective.

In addition, a study by Jorgensen, Doney, and Gannon in 2018 further underscored that responsive and individualized learning methods in swimming instructions were a top priority for autistic children. The authors found that tailored training programs improved water safety skills and increased their retention in autistic children. Retention is quite important as it allows the children to remember or use the skill gained when stressed or in emergencies.

The studies also suggested that children with autism, although at a higher risk of drowning, would be less vulnerable because of structured and adaptive swim lessons.