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86
DOI 10.14526/2070-4798-2018-13-4-43-47
The role of breath holding at the initial stage of teaching children with
mental disorders swimming
Natalya V. Popovich1, Evgeniya A. Raspopova2*
1 Moscow Municipal Pedagogical University Moscow, Russia, gmedian@tandex.ru 2Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sport, Youth and Tourism Moscow, Russia, ORCID: 000-0002-1129-4492, raspopova48@mail.ru*
Abstract: Swimming is a vital skill, teaching which starts from the ability to hold breath during diving. The ability to hold breath demonstrates reserve capacities of an organism: the less the time of breath holding is, the worse is a person's health state. That is why for children, who have mental disorders, breath holding is a difficult task. Most children, who have health disorders, just can't hold their breath that is why it is a real problem to teach them swimming. Materials. The article is dedicated to the question of teaching children with mental disorders breath holding, as the main component of teaching swimming at the initial stage. Methods. Scientific literature analysis and summarizing, experiment, Stange's test, methods of mathematical statistics. Results. Trainers use exercise on land and in water, in order to teach breath holding. The presented results concern breath holding among children with mental disorders at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. They prove the necessity to realize a directed breath holding skill formation at the initial stage of teaching swimming. Conclusion. In order to teach children with mental disorders swimming it is necessary to use special exercises, directed toward the skill of breath holding formation under water and on land.
Keywords: children with mental disorders, swimming, breath holding.
For citation: Natalya V. Popovich, Evgeniya A. Raspopova. The role of breath holding at the initial stage of teaching children with mental disorders swimming. The Russian Journal of Physical Education and Sport. 2018; 13 (4): 39-42. DOI 10.14526/2070-4798-2018-13-4-43-47
Introduction
Statistics proves that children drown each year. Moreover, in 70-80% of cases the reason of getting drowned is choking with water in shallow basins, because children can't hold their breath, when water gets into a mouth.
The ability to swim is necessary to everybody. Swimming is a vital skill, teaching which starts from the ability to hold breath during diving. Swimming improves health state and breath holding develops lungs. The ability to control breath is an important index of a child's behavior. It develops self-control over behavior and attention focusing. Breath holding is one of the parameters of self-control [1]. A child's freedom of movements in water depends on his ability to hold his breath during diving. The ability to hold one's breath demonstrates reserve capacities of an organism: the less the time of breath holding is, the worse is a person's health state. That is why for children, who have mental disorders, breath holding is a difficult task. Most children, who have health disorders, just can't hold their breath. It is a real problem to teach them swimming.
Exercises for breath holding improve the ability of disabled children to adapt and relax in water. They provide teaching these children swimming. Neuropsychologists pay great attention to breath holding exercises [1,2,3]. For children, who have mental disorders, it is especially important to learn breath holding at the initial stage. In order to achieve this aim, it is necessary to use different preparatory exercises.
The aim of the research is to reveal the effectiveness of special exercises connected with breath
holding on land and in water for children with mental disorders.
The research objectives:
1. To determine the timed inspiratory capacity among children with mental disorders.
2. To create special exercises for teaching children with mental disorders breath holding.
3. To determine the effectiveness of the exercises, directed toward teaching children with mental disorders breath holding.
Research methods
20 7-year-old children with mental disorders, with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), who go in for swimming 2 times a week during three months took part in the research. Children were divided into two groups - the control group and the experimental group. Each group included 10 people. The control group was taught swimming according to generally adopted methodology, without using special exercises for breath holding. The experimental group was taught according to special methodology, using special exercises for the period of breath holding increase.
At the beginning of the research Stange's test was held in both groups. In order to hold this test a nose clip and a stopwatch were used. 30 seconds before the test the respondents' pulse was measured in standing position. Timed inspiratory capacity was estimated in sitting position. Before breath holding the respondents made three deep breaths, approximately % of lungs volume depth. The time of breath holding was registered in seconds.
The experiment was held during three months. The children from the experimental and the control groups went in for swimming twice a week. The experimental group additionally fulfilled special exercises for breath holding on land and in water. The children from the control group were taught according to the standard methodology. After breathing renewal pulse was measured one more time. Lessons were held individually or in groups of two people, which were formed in accordance with the used methodology.
Results and Discussion
It should be noted that for children with mental disorders deep breaths and further breath holding caused the definite difficulty: children not always understood what was demanded or couldn't hold breath for a long time. For comparison the same breath holding study was held among healthy 7-year-old children.
Table 1 presents the average results of breath holding time and heart rate among children with mental disorders (experimental and control groups) and healthy children at the beginning of the experiment. It show the absence of differences according to physiological indices and the time of breath holding among children with mental disorders from the control and the experimental groups. Considerable advantage in breath holding ability was revealed among healthy children.
Table 1 - The average results of breath holding time and heart rate among children with mental disorders
Group of the respondents Pulse 30 s before breath holding Breath holding, s Pulse 30 s after breath holding
X±o X±o X±o
Experimental group 32,5±0,87 0,6±0,5 31,2± 0,87
Control group 32,6±0,87 0,6±0,5 31,1± 0,87
Healthy 7-year-old children 40,2±1,1 25,6±0,8 42,3±1,1
For children with mental disorders it is difficult to overcome inactivity in mental sphere. It shoulc be taken into consideration during lessons organization. For such kind of children duration and stability of actions are extremely important [4]. That is why it is necessary to repeat constantly the studied exercise during a long time period. It should be noted, that for such kind of children it is difficult to adapt to a new
situation. They need individual approach. This individual approach is demonstrated in individual exercises selection and the volume of their application [5, 6].
In order to learn how to hold breath for a long time, first of all, it is important to fulfill exercises in water. They are directed toward lungs training and an organism adaptation to the limited oxygen volume. In water the exercises were held both in statics (standing) and in dynamics (moving). Static exercises were used like exercises on land. During the exercises fulfillment a child went under water together with the trainer, playing "who is longer not breathing" game. It should be noted that at the beginning of the experiment during this exercises fulfillment almost nobody could stay under water, playing the game. Only after some time of constant training a child was able to hold his breath under water for a short time period. Exercises in dynamics were used very restrictedly. Almost all children from the experimental group couldn't dive and push off the board.
In this case, using a nose clip, a trainer with the child went under water imitating diving and pushing off the board. A child had to take a deep breath, close the mouth, repeat the movements after the trainer and go deeper not opening the mouth. The trainer looked after the child's behavior under water. If a child tried to open the mouth he came up. Practicing this exercise for second-nature a trainer tried to achieve the result, when a child didn't open the mouth under water. Thus, the skill of breath holding under water was formed. Then a child without a trainer's support went under water and brought the toys. The toys were at the bottom of the swimming-pool. The depth of the swimming-pool for this exercise shouldn't be more than 150 cm. A trainer, being close to a child, tried to attract a child's attention and keep it under water as long as it was possible. He makes the exercise more difficult (moving away the toys).
An important component of the methodology, directed toward teaching breath holding, is hyperventilation. This exercise teaches to take a maximum volume of air into lungs, more than during an ordinary breath. The exercise consists of frequent deep slow inhalations and short quick exhalations. This exercise can't be used with children with mental disorders, as they can't control the depth and tempo of an inhalation and an exhalation. Exercises, directed toward breath holding formation while diving, were held at each lesson during 10 minutes.
The additional study was held at the end of the experiment (after 3 months). The time of breath holding and heart rate before and after Stange's test were measured. The research results are presented in table 2.
Table 2 shows that during the experiment children from the experimental group, had a considerable breath holding time increase in comparison with the children from the control group. Further it helps to teach effectively children swimming, diving and use this skill in life. The children from the experimental group didn't achieve the level of healthy children. However, taking into account that before the experiment they were not able to hold their breath at all, the achieved level can be considered a good result.
Table 2 - The average results of breath holding time and heart rate among children with mental disorders from the experiment and control groups and a group of healthy children at the end of the
experiment
Groups of respondents Pulse 30 s before breath holding Time of breath holding Pulse 30 s after breath holding
X±o X±o X±o
Experimental group 32,6 ± 0,87 6,6±1,1 31,1± 0,87
Control group 32,6 ± 0,87 2,6±1,1 31,1± 0,87
Healthy 7-year-old children 40,2±1,1 35,6±0,8 42,3±1,1
Conclusion
On the basis of held by us experiment we come to the following conclusions:
1. Teaching children with mental disorders swimming showed that they can't hold their breath
under water and on land. In order to teach them breath holding it is necessary to use special exercises.
2. Special exercises use for breath holding on land and in water helped to improve the time of breath holding among children with mental disorders from 1,0 to 6,6 seconds.
3. It was revealed that the children from the experimental group master the exercises of the initial
stage of swimming teaching better, then the children with mental disorders from the control group.
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Submitted: 16.10.2018
Author's information:
Nataliya V. Popovich - Postgraduate student, Pedagogical Institute of Physical Culture and Sport State Autonomous Educational Establishment of Higher Education Moscow Municipal Pedagogical University, 123423, Russia, Moscow, Marshala Zhukova ave., House 43 Block 3 kv.105, e-mail: gmedian@yandex.ru Evgeniya A. Raspopova - Doctor of Pedagogics, Professor, Federal State Budgetary Educational Establishment of Higher Education "Russian State University of Physical Culture, Sport, Youth and Tourism", 105094, Russia, Moscow, Semenovskaya naberezhnaya str., House 3/1, Block 7 kv. 83, e-mail: raspopova48@mail.ru
