Evaluating aquatic competence in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities (ID): A comparative analysis of the WOTA, HAAR, and A-SEAS Scales

Abstract

Adapted aquatic programs offer children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Intellectual Disability (ID) important physical, social, and psychological benefits. Specialized tools instruments, including WOTA 1, HAAR, and the newer A-SEAS, are used to evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. Comparing WOTA 1, HAAR, and A-SEAS within the same population and intervention context is essential for determining whether they assess similar or complementary aspects of aquatic competence. Thus, this study examined the concurrent validity of WOTA 1, HAAR, and A-SEAS in evaluating aquatic competence among 30 children aged 6–15 with ASD or ID. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention assessments following a 14-week adapted swimming program using visual prompts. Significant improvements were observed in the experiment group across WOTA 1, HAAR, A-SEAS aquatic skills and A-SEAS emotional adjustment. Strong, positive and statistically significant correlations were found among WOTA 1, HAAR, and A-SEAS at both pre- and postintervention assessments, with stronger correlations observed after the intervention, indicating that improvements in aquatic competence were reflected more consistently across the different assessment perspectives. Overall, the findings demonstrated that the three instruments assess related aspects of a common underlying construct while providing complementary information. Specifically, WOTA 1 assesses functional aquatic performance, HAAR evaluates aquatic readiness, while A-SEAS evaluates aquatic skills and emotional adjustment during participation. The results support the view that aquatic competence in children with ASD and ID should not be understood exclusively as the acquisition of swimming skills, but as a multidimensional construct involving functional performance, motor adaptation, emotional adjustment and participation in aquatic settings.