The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if participation in an aquatic exercise program improves sleep in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Participants included 8 children. An A-B-A withdrawal design was utilized. Each phase lasted for 4 weeks. The treatment included 60 min of aquatic exercise 2X/week. Phone calls to parents of the participants were made throughout the duration of the study. Parents were asked questions related to sleep latency, nighttime wakenings, and sleep duration. A one way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to determine if differences existed between phases. Statistically significant difference existed for sleep latency (p < .001) and sleep duration (p < .001). These results suggest that participation in aquatic exercise may improve the sleep habits of children with ASD.

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Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often demonstrate disturbed sleep behaviors that negatively impact daytime behavior. The purpose of this study was: 1) To determine if participation in aquatic exercise improves sleep duration in children with ASD, and 2) to examine the social validity of the intervention. A within-subjects crossover design over an 8 week period was used. Participants were assigned to the intervention (aquatic exercise 2x/ week for 1 hour) or the control (no exercise) condition for 4 weeks; they then switched conditions for 4 weeks. Sleep habits were recorded using the EMFIT QS sleep monitor. The IRP-15 was administered to parents after completion of the intervention to establish social validity. Mean sleep duration for intervention versus control was compared using the Wilcoxon-Signed Ranks Test. Statistically significant improvements (p=0.012) in sleep duration were observed (intervention: 9.27 hours vs control 8.37 hours). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze IRP-15 data indicating the majority of parents strongly agreed that aquatic exercise had a positive effect on their child's sleep.Results suggest that participation in an aquatic exercise program may lead to improved sleep duration in children with ASD, and is a socially valid intervention.