A Sensory-Profile Framework for Differentiated Swim Instruction in Autistic Children

Part of paid clinical trials in Louisville, Kentucky.

Sponsor
Genesis Indep Research
Study ID
NCT07699692
Status
Completed

Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
3 Months - 16 Months
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • sensory-based instruction — BEHAVIORAL
    This study provided sensory-based instruction to children with ASD to increase aquatics-based learning efficiency
  • standard instruction — BEHAVIORAL
    standard swim instruction with no neurological accommodations

Study Details

Autistic children drown at one-hundred sixty times the rate of their neurotypical peers: a public health crisis that the adapted learning field has only addressed by demonstrating that standard swimming instruction sometimes works for autistic children. This study presents a three-profile framework (sensory-seeking/hyposensitive, sensory-avoidant/hypersensitive, variable/mixed) founded in sensory processing literature, based on \~950 lessons to 65 autistic children (ages 3-15) to determine why this disjunction exists, and how swim instructors can fix it.

Key Dates

First listed
Jul 13, 2026
Start date
Oct 15, 2025
Status verified
Jul 2026
Primary completion
Apr 15, 2026
Completion
May 25, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
95 participants (actual)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Arms

  • Experimental: sensory-profile framework
    Profile 1: Hyposensitive. Students of this profile pursue full-body pressure because their sensory systems under-register input. The instructional challenge for these children is not entry, but instead channeling that drive for stimulation toward skill acquisition. Yilmaz et al. (2004) documented proprioceptive gains from structured, repetitive swimming, which is precisely the kind of input these children seek but need sensory-based instruction to hone. Profile 2: Hypersensitive. Hypersensitive children are the ones for whom one wrong splash early on might end the lesson. Yet Vonder Hulls et al. (2006) found measurable improvements in touch tolerance following aquatic therapy. Their best mechanism for instruction is controlled and consensual exposure, not forced desensitization.
  • Active Comparator: control
    Normal non-sensory-based instruction for the autistic children

Primary Outcome Measure

(1) lessons to 5-meter unassisted float/kick; [ Time Frame: 10 lessons for each participant; 10-14 weeks ]

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
GenesisLouisvilleKentucky40299-

Find similar trials in Louisville, KY

Nationwide
Autism spectrum disorder trialsPediatrics trials
By condition
Autism spectrum disorder
By specialty
Pediatrics
By research site
Genesis· Louisville, KY

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