Adapted aquatic instructors use a variety of teaching tools to instruct their students. These tools can include placing a mat near the pool to teach or refine a swim stroke for a student with a visual impairment to feel the stroke in the water while working on body alignment or using various floatation devices, such as noodles, inner tubes, kickboards, or other devices to provide support for the trunk or head or to eliminate fears and ensure safety.

There are many ways to communicate with and to teach individuals with disabilities in an adapted aquatics program. The following are some ideas that one can implement in the aquatic setting:

• Use physical guidance and Brailling to help teach skills.
• Teach swimming skills on a floor mat on the pool deck before moving to the water.
• Use support equipment to help improve stability in water.
• Use hands to help stimulate independent movements.
• Use cues to help trigger movement responses.
• Start in the shallow end and progress to deeper water.
• Always communicate to the swimmer at all times, even if swimmer is non-verbal.
• Encourage independence as often as possible.
• Use skill checklist to track progress.