OS BENEFÍCIOS DA HIDROTERAPIA NO DESENVOLVIMENTO BIOPSICOMOTOR DE CRIANÇAS COM TRANSTORNO DE ESPECTRO AUTISTA (TEA): REVISÃO DE LITERATURA

Background: Autism is a complex syndrome that affects three areas of human development, which are: communication, socialization, and behavior. It is a pathology of unknown etiology, in which some current studies differ that the origin is linked to a possible failure of neuron development during the gestational process. Autism is more prevalent in male children than in females. Objective: To investigate the benefits in already published bibliographies that highlight the importance of hydrotherapy as a qualitative impact on the life of an autistic child in their psychomotor development. Methods: This is a literature review study, where the main bibliographic works were analyzed, whose databases were Scielo, Pubmed and BVS. Results: This review included five articles that verified the efficacy of hydrotherapy in the treatment of children with ASD, from which it was proven that hydrotherapy is effective in the treatment of ASD, improving: physical, social and emotional skills physical competence and social acceptance, non-verbal communication and emotional adaptation, approaches such as swimming and halliwick are promising therapeutic options in the development of children with ASD. Conclusion: Hydrotherapy is an innovative therapeutic intervention for children with ASD, offering benefits in motor development, emotional regulation, socialization and reduction of anxious behaviors, the aquatic environment is ideal for developing physical skills, postural control and relaxation, improving the child's quality of life.