Swimming and Autism: A Life Skill and A Lifesaver

My 11-year-old son, Nathan, has always loved water.  Like many children with autism, he loves the bathtub, the shower, a swimming pool or the beach.  It doesn't matter where the water is, he loves it!  He has taken swimming lessons, since he was 5-years-old, but he never was able to learn to swim.

When Nathan was little, his therapists would
fill a kiddie pool and use a water table with him

This was a huge fear for my husband and me.  According to the National Autism Association, accidental drowning is a leading cause of death for children under the age of 14 with autism.  Between 2009-2011, 91% of deaths of children with autism were due to accidental drowning after a child wandered away.  In addition to his love of water, Nathan is also a wanderer.

Nathan loves to feel the waves crashing
into him at the beach

I knew if Nathan could get over his fear of drowning, he could easily learn to swim.  He loves the water, but was terrified to go in without a life jacket or flotation device.  He would sit on the steps and refuse to go in any further and God forbid his face should go in the water, he would panic.

Nathan would refuse to get in the water without a
life jacket, he was terrified of drowning

After trying years of regular swimming lessons in a regular class, I decided I needed to try something else.  In March of this year, I found Swim Angelfish.  They have swimming lessons and swim therapy for children with autism, physical or sensory challenges.  All lessons are 1:1 with just your child and his or her instructor.  They have locations in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.  Like everything else when it comes to autism, it isn't cheap- $60 per lesson- but if you buy a group of lessons in advance, you will get a discount.

At the end of Nathan's first lesson,

he doggie paddled across the pool

I've been amazed by the results.  By the end of the first lesson, Nathan was doggie paddling from one side of the pool to the other!  Now, 4 months later, he will wear his goggles- he used scream if we tried to put them on and he called them "his weakness" because he thought if he wore goggles, he would drown.  He will also go underwater- just for a fraction of a second, but this is huge!

Nathan will now wear his goggles

and go under- even if for a split second

Would I call Nathan swimmer?  No, he still has a long way to go, but at least I know he can be safe in and near water.  That is a huge relief for me and Jason.  If you've been thinking of trying 1:1 swimming lessons for your child, I highly recommend it.  It could save a life.

It's a Lifesaver!

It's something all parents think about and fear. Losing your child. But, if you have a child with autism who wanders, you don't just think about it, you obsess over it.

Nathan wearing his Project Lifesaver bracelet

Nathan is 10 years old and has a tendency to wander. We have talked to him and explained the dangers and that he must always be with his family.  While he understands this, if he sees or thinks about something he's interested in, he will take off. Even our younger son, Drew, is terrified of losing Nathan.

And we did lose him. Once. It was the most awful few minutes of my life.

We were in church.  My husband and I were kneeling down and praying. Nathan was sitting on the pew.  Or so we thought.  At some point he got up and walked out, we never heard a thing. After searching the street outside the church, we found him in the church office on the computer.

This incident led us to a true lifesaver. Actually, it's called Project Lifesaver. Project Lifesaver provides a radio transmitter that Nathan wears on his wrist. It looks like a watch and if he ever gets lost again, the sheriff's department can track him. We got ours through a partnership between Westchester County and Westchester Jewish Community Services (in New York).  Project Lifesaver is not the only service available to find or track a person with autism, there are others you can check out.

At first he hated wearing the transmitter,

now he forgets it's even there

We even travel with it!  We just let the people at the Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) office know where we're going. They take it from there, contacting the local police at our destination to find out if they participate in Project Lifesaver (Walt Disney World is covered!!!). If so, they give the police the dates we will be in the area, and the radio frequency of Nathan's transmitter. We also carry documentation that we give to the TSA when going through airport security.  It explains what the bracelet is, and why he can't take it off.

As a Project Lifesaver family, we have responsibilities as well. In order to take part in the program, we must agree to test the transmitter everyday to make sure it's working.  We also keep track of what Nathan's wearing each day so we can tell the police what he is wearing if he gets lost. Every other month we take Nathan in to the WJCS office to get the transmitter battery changed.

We test the battery of transmitter daily

and keep a log of what Nathan is wearing

If someone in your family wanders either because of autism, Alzheimer's disease or for any other reason, please, get some type of tracking device. It will not only ease your mind, but it could also be a lifesaver.