Safe Splashes: Crafting a Joyful and Secure Swim Experience for Children with Autism

As the sun climbs higher and the days grow longer, the allure of cool blue waters beckons our children to dive into summer fun. But with alarming drowning statistics for kids on the autism spectrum, it's crucial that we equip them with the skills to navigate the waters safely. In our latest episode, I share my personal journey in teaching my child the non-negotiable rule of waiting for an adult before taking the plunge, the lifesaving habit of securing a flotation device, and the importance of maintaining a calm pace around the slippery pool edges. We don't just skim the surface; we dive deep into strategies that safeguard our little ones while allowing them the freedom to splash and play.

Sense the relief as you discover practical solutions tailored to the unique challenges faced by children with sensory sensitivities, ensuring their swimming experience is nothing short of joyful. We discuss how to mitigate the overstimulation caused by the water's glare and cacophony by utilizing reflective goggles and wax earplugs, and address the tactile issues presented by chilly waters and uncomfortable swimwear with recommendations like swim shirts and form-fitting suits. Our conversation extends to the value of personalized swimming lessons from instructors with expertise in working with children on the spectrum, providing peace of mind for every parent. Join us as we navigate these waters together, ensuring a summer of delightful memories and watertight safety for our kids.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:26

Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't been doing any podcasts lately, but I'm back and we'll be doing a couple this week. Today I'm going to talk about summer and swimming. Summer's upon us and we need to help our little ones enjoy the water. I read somewhere that it's one of the primary deaths in drowning, with kids on the spectrum, so we need to teach water safety. So the first thing you want to teach is we're going to talk about practice. We want them to be able to practice, and the first thing would be waiting for a grown-up. They need to learn that they cannot go to the pool unless a grown-up is with them. Second thing is practice grabbing a noodle before they enter the pool, or some type of vest or something before they enter the pool. And the third thing to practice is walking around the pool. You need to moderate, model it and go from to the house and from and back so they can kind of just practice a little bit before they get into the water. So those are three things that you need to do with your little ones before they even enter the water, and that's you know wait for a grown-up, grab a noodle and learn to walk around the pool and be safe. Another thing you could get is also is some water shoes, things, and we'll talk about that in a little bit and then once you're in the water, the second thing would be, once you're in the water, you want to give them a little space to explore the water, to feel safe, and a good idea is to find an instructor that is experienced working with kids on the spectrum, and they do have them. We have one here in Florida, where I live, and a parent is going to send her little one to there and if you can I know you have to pay a little extra for this but get a one-to-one instructor. They're really not that expensive, but it is well worth it to teach them, because I know that if you do have a pool or you go somewhere, usually they have safety on the doors or rings or something like that. But just to be on the safe side, you need to train them in these steps.

Speaker 1: 2:39

Next, I want to talk about sensory. If a lot of people are in the pool, loud noises, moving objects and some textures can overload our kids, so we're going to talk a little bit about that. So the first one we're going to talk about is vision Maybe the sun on the water, you know, bothers them the reflections of the goggles. Goggles is a good idea, but you need to get ones that are reflective. Or swimming early, or early during the day or in the evening, if the sun is bothering them during the day on the water, that might be something that you want to look into of what time you go into the waters For auditory.

Speaker 1: 3:19

Water is loud, can be loud, especially if you've got a lot of people in the water at the same time. So sometimes the loud noises and splashing of the water can overstimulate them. So find an area in the pool that has less people. You can also get wax earplugs to help them with the noise. So those are two options you can do for auditory.

Speaker 1: 3:44

The other thing is touch water's too cold or the swimsuit is uncomfortable. The texture of the bottom of the pool there's difference in goggles, those things that you have to kind of look at and find out what it is that they don't like. So one thing that you can do is get swim shirts or swim vest, and that would be something that they could put on before instead of grabbing a noodle. Maybe a swim vest, form-fitting suits, swimsuits that are not real baggy, or anything that fits like a second skin, is another option. Swim shoes, which I mentioned before, is another good idea to put on if the bottom of the pool or going down the pool, the steps, bother their feet, and goggles that collapse in the back so they don't have to, you know, they can kind of not bump off in their face is another idea, especially if they want to go under the water, maybe some goggles would be a good idea. So this is a short little one for today. I am going to do another one later today or tomorrow, but I just wanted to go over some of these.

Speaker 1: 4:58

For summer coming up and swimming, and I know a lot of the kids. They love the water, but we also have to practice safety and so do those things that I said. Practice those things and give them time to explore the water. Maybe set a time where there's nobody in the water that give them a little time to enjoy the water. Or maybe one or two kids, if they have a sibling or something, to get them started in the waters. But even if they've been swimming, still practice those things. If you live in a state where you know it's cold in the wintertime and so you're not swimming. You need to refresh those ideas that I gave you to make sure that they are safe.

Speaker 1: 5:43

Okay, so that's all for today, and I hope you guys are having a blessed week. I am. A lot's happened to me this last week, and so I got a new car. I remember I told you my car broke down. I don't know if I did, but anyway. So I ended up getting a new car, so I'm going to be doing a little more work with my autistic kids. Anyway, I hope you guys have a blessed day and I will talk to you real soon. Bye-bye.