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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Jan 15;17(2):558.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17020558.

Does Hydrotherapy Impact Behaviours Related to Mental Health and Well-Being for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Randomised Crossover-Controlled Pilot Trial

Whitney Mills  1 , Nicholas Kondakis  1 , Robin Orr  1 , Michael Warburton  2 , Nikki Milne  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Does Hydrotherapy Impact Behaviours Related to Mental Health and Well-Being for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Randomised Crossover-Controlled Pilot Trial

Whitney Mills et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are less physically active than typically developing children due to reduced socialisation and delayed gross-motor skills, negatively impacting social, emotional and physical well-being. This study aimed to determine whether hydrotherapy influences behaviours which impact mental health and well-being in children with ASD.

Methods: A within-subjects, randomised crossover-controlled pilot trial was used over 8 weeks. Children aged 6-12 years and diagnosed with ASD (n = 8) were randomly allocated to Group 1 (n = 4) or Group 2 (n = 4). All children participated in hydrotherapy intervention from either weeks 1 to 4 or weeks 5 to 8. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) measured behaviour changes impacting mental health and well-being, administered at weeks 0, 4 and 8.

Results: No observable differences were found in CBCL subscales between Group 1 or 2 at baseline (week 0). Paired-samples t-tests revealed significant improvements post-intervention: Anxious/Depressed subdomain (p = 0.02) and the Internalising Problems Domain Summary (p = 0.026), with large effect size (d = 1.03 and d = 1.06 respectively). Thought Problems (p = 0.03) and Attention Problems (p = 0.01) both significantly improved post-intervention. The Total Problems score significantly improved post-intervention (p = 0.018) with a large effect size (d = 1.04).

Conclusion: Hydrotherapy may enhance behaviours impacting mental health and well-being of children with ASD and could be considered a beneficial therapy option.

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Child Behaviour Checklist; behaviours; hydrotherapy; physiotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of patients throughout the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean t score changes within Group 1 (G1) and Group 2 (G2) based on intervention vs. control periods for anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, and somatic complaints syndromes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean t score changes within Group 1 (G1) and Group 2 (G2) based on intervention vs. control periods for rule breaking behaviour and aggressive behaviour syndromes.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Mean t score changes within Group 1 (G1) and Group 2 (G2) based on intervention vs. control periods for social problems, thought problems, and attention problems syndromes.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Mean t score changes within Group 1 (G1) and Group 2 (G2) based on intervention vs. control periods for the internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and total problems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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