Did you know children with autism spectrum disorder are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than the general pediatric population?
When we were moving from Texas to Arizona I knew one of my must-haves for our new home would be a swimming pool. At the time our son had not been diagnosed without Autism Spectrum Disorder yet. However, we always knew we would have to take precautions to have children near a pool. Once our son started eloping, I started doing research on swim lessons for kids with autism.
What is eloping?
I guess I really should start by explaining what eloping is. Before having an autistic child I really only heard eloping used when referencing weddings. However, it generally means running or wandering away without parental consent. I read something recently from the National Autism Association, accidental drowning accounts for 91% of deaths reported in children with ASD who are 14 years old and younger. This is scary for parents in any situation, so I knew I was going to have to get the boys into a swim program in order to put my mind at ease.
What is adaptive swimming?
Adaptive swim lessons also called adaptive aquatics programs are lessons that have been modified or tailored to fit a person‘s individual needs. These lessons are good for swimmers of all ages. They might have sensory issues, developmental disabilities, people with special needs, or autistic kids. You might even be able to find a weekly sensory swim class.
How does swimming help autism?
Swimming can help autistic children improve their speech, coordination, social skills, self-esteem, and cognitive processing. Fine motor skills and body awareness are constantly in use during swimming. It’s just like being in occupational therapy, he’s being stimulated throughout a swimming lesson. For children with autism, water offers resistance, pressure, comfortable temperatures, and pleasant sensory arousal. It’s been stimulating for Santana, but it’s the right kind of stimulating.
Can you teach an autistic child to swim?
You can teach anyone to swim you just have to find the right program. Some kiddos might require private swim lessons and some might do okay with group lessons. We made sure to visit a few places before deciding on one because we wanted to make sure our kids have good experiences.
We made a visit to Goldfish Swim School in Gilbert, AZ. This was actually the second place we went to because the first place wasn’t a good fit for our son’s particular needs. A good tip is to find a place that might give you the first lesson free before you commit to anything so you can get a feel for it.
What should you look for when choosing swim lessons for kids with autism?
- The first thing I looked for was the different class options available: We felt our son would do well in a group setting however in case that didn’t work out did they have private lessons available? In addition to that, I wanted to make sure they had flexible times for us to choose from. With school and therapy, we already have so much going on that we needed options. They have an app that makes it really easy to look up classes and availabilities. If for some reason you can’t make it or have to cancel you get credit put on your account so you don’t waste your money!
The instructors always made our kids feel so comfortable
- A patient and knowledgeable swim instructor. This seems like common sense, right? However, as a Black mother of an autistic child, there have been a number of situations we have found ourselves in with people who shouldn’t be around kids. Let alone teaching special needs children. Our kids are going to get frustrated, they might have a hard time. They might experience sensory overload, and I need to know the swim teacher is like any other teacher my child has. That they are teaching my kids the basics of water safety but with the understanding that it might be at a slower pace. It was so reassuring to see how much my son enjoyed learning with his swim coach. And the attention and care they gave him.
- Clear and open communication skills. I can not stress enough how much communication matters in any situation. However, I need to know what the basic goals of each swimmer are. What important water safety skills they would be learning? What the goal of this program is? And overall what I could do at home and during class to help the learning process. After every class, the instructor gives individual feedback to every swimmer. You know exactly how your child is progressing in class. They also put the information on the app just in case you forget or if you have to leave without getting a debriefing.
- Class sizes are small. One of the best things I loved about Goldfish swim school was the class sizes. The swim classes that I observed were all good sizes. The instructors gave all of the students individual one-on-one instruction even within the swim class.
Is swimming good for autistic children?
Swim lessons for kids with autism help increase muscle memory. They are practicing basic techniques for kids to use during a water emergency. Our sons have been learning the crab walk, properly getting in and out of the side of the pool, going underwater, rolling on their backs, treading water, learning different strokes, and so much more.
Finding swim lessons for kids with autism for our kids was important because it’s essential for us to teach them to be safe around water.
My job as a parent is to teach my kids basic life skills. My hope is that they can one day go out without us and live safe and happy lives. Drowning is a leading cause of death for young children, and it’s something we see on the news a lot living in Arizona. According to the CDC Black children are five and a half times more likely to drown than white children. So it’s essential for us to teach our children how to be safe around water.
[…] children have been enrolled in swim classes at Goldfish Swim School for just over a year now, and honestly, it’s one of the best choices we’ve ever made […]