Strategies to teach swimming to people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

Abstract

– Aims: The Swimming has numerous benefits in the physiological, psychological, social and cognitive aspects for the person with spinal cord injury. However, the process of learning the swim must be done in order to take advantage of the potential and the motor functions of the swimmer, through the planning of actions and teaching strategies that seek an effective swim with the fewest adaptations possible and respecting the specific conditions of the lesion. The objective was to verify how the teacher evaluates the motor function of the swimmer with the SCI and to understand how this instructional process acts in the learning of swimming through the perspective of the teacher. Methods: Participated in the research, twelve Physical Education teachers, who work with spinal cord injury swimmers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a field diary. Results: The results demonstrated that, depending on the teaching style adopted by the teacher, he does not consider the student’s feedback and perception. He acts only on the results and possibilities he sees. Therefore, in the teacher’s view, the adaptability of the swimming technique is conditioned to the motor limitation of the individual with SCI, or according to the teacher’s perspective on the functionality. Conclusion: We conclude that the use of strategies based on the traditional swimming technique showed that there is little awareness or lack of knowledge about the work of promoting the swimmer’s motor function, confirmed to the extent that the contribution of the specific literature is incipient and does not satisfy the teacher’s desire for knowledge.