Potential (for) Pool Problems

Whilst on my paediatric placement during the first week of the prac I was thrown into the deep end during a hydro session, not literally the deep end but figuratively. The class for which I was involved on this occasion only consisted of 5 participants with varying conditions including forms of muscular dystrophy, juvenile arthritis and hypotonia and developmental delay, so really each child presented differently so each child warranted a different approach to the session.
Even before the session had a begun I noticed there was a child who seemed a bit older that the others and he was also quite excitable. On entering the pool it was also clear that he was more independent in the pool with regards to keeping afloat and performing the activities, however it became apparent very quickly that it would be necessary someone remain with him due to his excitable nature. As the student i was assigned this task, and I must admit at first i found it quite daunting having a over excited child in the pool who didn't seem to be following instructions too well either.
This presented me with a few issues, firstly the safety of the particular child then also the safety and well being of the other children participating in the class who had more of an issue keeping their head above water, as well as this I had to devise some way that would ensure the child was still getting benefit out of the session.
So the first thing I tried to do was try and develop somewhat of a report with the child and work out a way of communicating with them, bribery goes a long way and i made sure i always made direct eye contact with them as this seemed to make the child listen. Also the child was able to complete the tasks with the other children however a harder aspect was added to challenge this child more. To address the increase in energy I tried to use basic things in between each task like jumping on the spot and swimming out to a point then back to the wall however i had to be careful using these things as every so often it tended to excite the child even more.

All up the strategies worked quite well and as i went to more sessions it became easier to interact with this child. As I became more confident in the situation and also more proficient with communicating at the child's levels I feel my initial concerns were dispelled.