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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05123066

Effect of Aquatic Training on Motor Function in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Clinically, infants with Autism Spectrum Disorder often display gross motor delays in supine, prone, and sitting skills in their first year of life . Studies reveal that motor abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorder can occur very early in developmental trajectory.

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Key information

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder Child Development Disorders, Pervasive Mental Disorders Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Age range

3 year–5 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Eman S Albadry

Giza, Giza Governorate, 12662, Egypt

About this study

Hydrotherapy is an environment that may be conducive to encouraging physical activity in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The buoyancy of water can assist with movement, balance, and coordination .Water also provides an opportunity for social interaction through aquatic games and activities.Based on the literature, Aquatic therapy appears to be particularly beneficial for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who need strong sensory stimulation.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ranges from 3 to 5 years.
  • Mild to moderate autistic features according to GARS (scores from 60 to 110).

Exclusion criteria

  • Significant visual or auditory defects.
  • History of cerebral palsy or psychiatric disorder (e.g attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
  • Open wound.
  • Dermatological diseases

Treatment and study plan

aquatic exercises

Other

These 3 sets were the following:

Set 1: warming up exercise as floating exercise 24 Set 2: Standing education/training Set 3: Walking education/training

The exercises will be conducted taking in consideration safety measures as:

  • Each participant will use Noodles to ensure safety.
  • Each participant will train individually to ensure safety and avoid distraction.
  • Each participant will use special swimming suit in case of lack of bowel and/or bladder control.

Land Exercises

Other

All participants were physical therapy intervention according to their level of functional impairment :

Primary outcomes

  1. Autism Index

    Time frame: Treatment for 3 monthes

    Gilliam autism rating scale:

    Items on the developmental subscale address behaviors and milestones in the first 36 months of life. Items on the first three behavioral subscales are rated on a four point like scale ranging from Never Observed (0) to Frequently Observed (3). After completing it, the examiner calculated the total raw scores then converted into scaled scores and percentile ranks according to the examiner's manual. Higher scaled scores on a subscale represent severe autistic behavior. Finally, the total scaled scores were calculated to measure the autism index according to the examiner's manual. The higher the autism index, the higher the probability the individual has autism and the more severe the autistic behavior

  2. Motor Development

    Time frame: Treatment for 3 monthes

    The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition:

    The gross motor function domain will be assessed in the current study. The gross motor function domains contain four subtests. Reflexes, Stationary ,Locomotion and Object Manipulation .

    Grading and Scoring of the PDMS-2 The therapist will ask the child to do a specific item and observes how the child is doing the task. Items are scored as 2, 1 or 0.

    0 = child cannot or will not attempt an item or the attempt does not indicate that the specific skill is emerging

    • = child's performance shows a clear resemblance to item mastery criteria but does not fully meet the criteria or there are signs of an emerging skill
    • = child performs item according to the criteria specified for mastering the skill

  3. Pediatric Quality of life Inventory Scale

    Time frame: Treatment for 3 monthes

    Pediatric Quality of life Inventory Scale:

    The Arabic version will be used to assess quality of life. It contains questions about child's physical, emotional, social, and school functioning in the past 7 days. Parents/ child self-administered the quality of life after introductory instructions from the administrator. On the quality of life Generic Core Scales, for ease of interpretability, items are 22 reversed scored and linearly transformed to a 0-100 scale, so that higher scores indicate better Health-Related quality of Life. To reverse score, transform the 0-4 scale items to 0-100 as follows: 0-100, 1=75, 2= 50, 3= 25 and 4= 0. Finally, the Scale Score for each dimension and Total Scale Score were calculated

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cairo University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of Aquatic Training Versus Land Exercises on Motor Function in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Nov 17, 2021
Registry last updated
Dec 8, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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