Interactional Response During Infants' Aquatic Sessions
Marta Martins1,2, Aldo Costa3,4, Mario J Costa4,5
1Sport Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Santarém Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior, Rio Maior, Portugal.
Insights
Infant swimming sessions focusing on child-centered methods promote positive motor and social behaviors. This approach supports healthy infant development in aquatic environments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric behavioral science
- Infant motor development
- Aquatic therapy
Background:
- Routine infant swimming sessions are common but require behavioral assessment.
- Understanding infant behavior in water is crucial for developmental programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate infant behavior during routine swimming using naturalistic observation.
- To identify prevalent motor and social-affective behaviors in aquatic settings.
Main Methods:
- Naturalistic observation of 14 infants (13.7±7.5 months) with prior aquatic experience.
- Two independent experts recorded behavior frequency over two sessions.
- Focus on motor behavior and social-affective interaction dimensions.
Main Results:
- Accompanied displacement (61.1%) and interaction with others (41.6%) were the most frequent behaviors.
- Submersions or jumps constituted only 8.4% of observed activities.
- Child-centered approaches correlated with positive infant behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Child-centered methodologies foster positive infant behaviors in swimming sessions.
- These sessions contribute positively to overall child development.
- Observation highlights the importance of interaction and movement in infant aquatic experiences.
Abstract:
The aim of study was to assess infants' behaviour during routine swimming sessions using a naturalistic observation method. The study sample included 14 infants (13.7±7.5 months old) with previous aquatic experience. The frequency of occurrences per unit of time (session) in the different dimensions - infant's motor behaviour and social-affective interaction - was registered over the course of two sessions by two independent experts. The behaviours most frequently observed were accompanied displacement (61.1%) and interaction with others (41.6%). Submersions or jumps represented only 8.4% of the session. Implementing a child-centred methodology leads to positive behaviours during this type of sessions, contributing to the child's healthy development.
