Water Competency Intervention in Autism
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: AquOTic.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorders. Basic parameters: 5 years — 9 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Water Competency Intervention for Children on the Autism Spectrum: The AquOTic Hybrid Effectiveness Implementation Trial
Overview
AquOTic is an evidence-based, occupational therapy-led intervention designed to enhance water competency and swim safety skills in children on the autism spectrum. The 10-week program consists of weekly 60-minute group sessions, each including six children paired in a 1:1 ratio with an interventionist. Sessions follow a structured routine involving six rotating stations, targeting various swim and safety skills, with the flexibility for individualized support by the interventionist. Overall, this study has 3 major aims. The first aim evaluates the effectiveness of the AquOTic intervention in improving water competency and swim skills, while comparing outcomes between two implementation models: professional student interventionists (occupational and physical therapy students) and trained community-based interventionists. A total of 108 autistic children will be enrolled and randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) AquOTic with professional student interventionists, (2) AquOTic with community interventionists, or (3) a control group receiving no AquOTic intervention. The second aim explores the mediators and moderators of the intervention outcomes to assess fidelity and efficacy. The third aim identifies the cost and resources associated with AquOTic. A cost analysis will be conducted to evaluate the resources required for implementation and to inform the development of a scalable, cost-effective drowning prevention strategy for autistic populations.
Interventions
- Other AquOTic
AquOTic is an evidence-based, occupational therapy-led intervention designed to enhance water competency and swim safety skills in children on the autism spectrum. The 10-week program consists of weekly 60-minute group sessions, each including six children paired in a 1:1 ratio with an interventionist. Sessions follow a structured routine involving six rotating stations, targeting various swim and safety skills, with the flexibility for individualized support by the interventionist.
Primary outcome measures
- Water Orientation Test-Alyn (WOTA) 2 [Time frame: At baseline, immediately post-AquOTic, 6 months after termination of AquOTic, and 12 months after termination of AquOTic]
Secondary outcome measures (3)
- Water Orientation Test-Alyn (WOTA) 1 [Time frame: At baseline, immediately post-AquOTic, 6 months after termination of AquOTic, and 12 months after termination of AquOTic]
- Water Competency Checklist (WCC) [Time frame: At baseline, immediately post-AquOTic, 6 months after termination of AquOTic, and 12 months after termination of AquOTic]
- Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) [Time frame: At baseline, immediately post-AquOTic, 6 months after termination of AquOTic, and 12 months after termination of AquOTic]
Eligibility criteria
Children Participants (n=108)
Inclusion criteria
- Educational or medical diagnosis of autism
- Age between 5 - 9 years
- Having vision and hearing within normal limits with or without corrective modifications
Exclusion criteria
- Children who demonstrate swim proficiency, as defined by the ability to tread water for 1 minute or move the body through the water without flotation
- Open wounds or infectious skin diseases
- Allergy to chlorine
- Severe co-occurring motor impairments or neurological conditions such as uncontrolled seizures, Rett's or Angelman's syndrome
- The family is unable to commit to the sessions or evaluations
Interventionists (n=64)
Inclusion criteria
- Aged 18 or over
- Demonstrate swim proficiency, as defined by the ability to tread water for 1 minute and move the body through the water without flotation for 25 yards
Exclusion criteria
- Open wounds or infectious diseases
- Failed background check
- Unable to commit to Basic Swim Instructor and AquOTic training (\~40 hours) and 10 AquOTic sessions (20 hours)
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- The Ohio State University — Columbus
Publications
- Kemp E, Nikahd M, Howard M, Darragh A, Crasta JE. Improving water competency among children on the autism spectrum: the AquOTic randomized controlled trial. Front Pediatr. 2024 Oct 7;12:1473328. doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1473328. eCollection 2024. PMID 39435387
- Kemp E, Juckett L, Sansone IO, Walton KM, Palettas M, Carson TB, Crasta JE. AquOTic: protocol for a type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial of an occupational therapy-based water competency intervention for children on the autism spectrum. BMJ Open. 2026 Aug 4;16(8):e117908. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-117908. PMID 42552003
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07076264 · STUDY20250101 · E06288.1a