Halliwick Hydrotherapy and Snoezelen

Comparison of the Effect of Halliwick Hydrotherapy in Snoezelen Multisensory Environment and Snoezelen Intervention in Children With Autism

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Halliwick concept in the adapted Snoezelen multi-sensory environment, in the gross mobility of children belonging to the autism spectrum.

The study involved 54 children, aged 4 to 8, all of whom belonged to the autism spectrum (ASD) and all had cognitive limitations. The duration of the intervention was 3 months by specialized pediatric physiotherapists and hydrotherapists certified by the program "PEDIATRIC SPECIALIZATION" and NDT- BOBATH. All children were assessed through the WOTA 1 and PEDI assessment tests.

The design of the present study included two groups of children with autism. A first group of 26 children formed the core group with the Halliwick philosophy - hydrotherapy in water in a multi-sensory Snoezelen environment. A second group of 27 children was the Snoezelen on-site control-intervention group with two sessions per week, which was the measure of comparison and support of "reasonable" hypotheses, in order to evaluate the hypothesis that Halliwick hydrotherapy in a multi-sensory environment in combination with intervention on land leads to better therapeutic results. The application of the tests was done by the 2 examiners, who were pediatric physiotherapists - hydrotherapists with many years of experience (more than 10 years) in approaching motor problems of children with stroke. The tests were videotaped and then graded by the two examiners separately, which was considered important in order to ensure the objective grading of the assessment tests.

A first group of 26 children formed the core group with the Halliwick philosophy - hydrotherapy in water in a multi-sensory Snoezelen environment. A second group of 27 children was the Snoezelen on-site control-intervention group with two sessions per week,

Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory assesses key functional capabilities and performance in children ages 6 months to 7 years. PEDI is also useful for older children whose functional abilities are lower than those of seven-year-olds without disabilities.

Water Orientation test Alyn- Wota is an assessment scale to evaluate the progress of a patient in the water enviroment.

Inclusion Criteria: Children aged 4-8 years with autism All participants had the criterion of participation in the monitoring treatment program by the same therapist either in water or on land. Exclusion Criteria: Children with other neurological diseases were excluded. Children who had some scheduled surgery were also excluded intervention or injection of sausage toxin. Children who were absent from the treatment program were excluded either in water or on land for more than a week.

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