Swimming with Autism

Our Mission

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children and adults with autism.

When our school first began its autism swimming program, we were alarmed by the lack of written material available on the subject. So, as we created our own curriculum, we knew that we wanted to share what we had discovered with other instructors and swim schools. We knew the ropes, after all, and we understood the challenges and frustrations of creating an autism swimming program.

Swimming with Autism provides guidelines for the aquatic educator, parent, and/or caregiver to navigate their way through frustrating and unique challenges. It details what autism is, how to communicate effectively with swimmers with autism, and how to avoid inappropriate behaviors. Finally, it provides instructional techniques specific to the autism community with numerous tips, scenarios, and case studies to help put the pieces of the puzzle together.

To understand why it is so crucial that all children with autism learn to swim, despite the challenges involved, simply consider these facts:

• A child can drown in the time it takes to answer the phone. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Children under the age of five and adolescents between the ages of 15 to 24 have the highest drowning rates. For every child who drowns, four others are hospitalized for near drowning. America Academy of Pediatrics
• In ten states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington), drowning surpasses all other causes of death for children under the age of 14.

Our mission is to provide all aquatics professionals, wherever they might live around the world, with the education and tools necessary to be successful instructing swimmers with autism. Our wish is for all students with autism to enjoy the many benefits the water can provide, safely and competently.