Scoping Review of Swimming and Aquatic Exercise Intervention Studies for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

PURPOSE: To our knowledge, there is no systematic review of swimming and aquatic exercise intervention studies for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). Therefore, we conducted a scoping review of swimming and aquatic exercise intervention studies for ASD and AD/HD with the aim of identifying outcomes and issues in previous studies.METHODS: This study was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), and articles were collected and selected. We used PubMed, Science Direct, J-stage and CiNii Research as databases. Searches were conducted using terms such as "swimming", "Autism" and "AD/HD". The collected literature was selected according to eligibility criteria, and the quality of the studies was evaluated using the PEDro scale.RESULTS: Finally, 40 articles were selected and analyzed for (1) study areas and publication date, (2) sample size and participant profile, (3) study design and quality, and (4) intervention and measurement methods. The results showed that, despite challenges in the field, size, and quality of the study, ASD and AD/HD symptoms improved and multifaceted effects on physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development were observed.CONCLUSION: The scoping review clarified the achievements and issues of previous studies and indicated the therapeutic significance of swimming and aquatic exercise for ASD and AD/HD.