Award Date

May 2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Donnamarie Krause

Second Committee Member

Jefferson Kinney

Number of Pages

85

Abstract

Although swim instructors are solely taught water safety regulations and correct swimming techniques, they are nonetheless viewed as mentors by the kids they work with. They are required to finish both their basic swim instructor (BSI) course and their cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification, which primarily covers the fundamentals (American Red Cross Training Services, 2023; Kraft & Leblanc, 2018). However, neither provides a method of teaching swimming to children who might have sensory processing differences. This lack of education may affect both the child's participation and the swim instructor's capacity to impart knowledge. Research revealed that swim instructors are not very knowledgeable in this area, and children with specific diagnoses and sensory processing issues can benefit from sensory-based activities in the water (Kraft & Leblanc, 2018; Pinru & Burhaein, 2019).

The primary objective of this capstone project is to address the knowledge gap on how to interact with children who have poor sensory control by providing swim instructors at Waves Swim and Safety LLC in Reno, Nevada, with a toolkit on sensory activities. The introductory educational toolkit includes items relevant to occupational therapy practice and offers swim instructors strategies to enhance their teaching and students' engagement in swim classes.

Keywords

Education; Occupational therapy; sensory processing disorder (SPD); Sensory-based aquatic strategies; Swim Instructors

Disciplines

Occupational Therapy | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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