ORLANDO, Fla. – Nemours Children’s Health Autism Center is helping children with autism learn water safety.
“So, what we wanted to do was use our knowledge and work with children with autism-spectrum disorders and get them a safe and effective way to learn those water safety skills that are very important for survival here in Florida,” Lindsey Wright said.
[Watch video below to see how classes work]
Wright is the lead behavior analyst at the Nemours Children’s Health Autism Center. News 6 caught up with her at the downtown Orlando YMCA, where she teaches children with autism how to swim. The swim program enables kids to get individualized lessons from staff certified to provide ABA therapy and Red Cross Water Safety Instruction.
Children with autism are often drawn to water, which can pose safety risks, especially when they wander away. According to the Autism Society of Florida, drowning is the number-one cause of death in autism, and Florida leads the way in child drownings resulting in death. They also report that kids with autism are 160 times more likely to experience nonfatal and fatal drowning than their neurotypical peers.
“The thing that inspired us to do this was in response to an all too familiar story that comes out on the news: hearing that a child ran away and was found in a body of water,” Wright said. “So, what we wanted to do was use our knowledge of working with children with autism-spectrum disorders and getting them a safe and effective way to learn those water safety skills that are very important for survival here in Florida.”
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Wright works closely with children like six-year-old Miguel, who benefit from personalized, one-on-one instruction.
“A lot of children with autism all have sensory needs or language communication differences that make participating in a group class a little bit harder,” Wright explained. “So, with some of our kids, we’ll use pictures. We’ll use demonstrations, a lot of different types of techniques, to get them comfortable and doing the skills in the water.”
Parents like Jennifer Silva, Miguel’s mother, find relief in the program, observing significant improvements in their children’s abilities.
“I have noticed that since that last time we entered, like a large pool, he can manage, floating,” Silva shared.
The benefits of the program extend beyond the pool. Silva has seen her son make strides in other areas.
“I have noticed a huge progress in his speech, in developmental skills that he applies to life. I’ve seen he’s more confident. He does more physical activities and his motor skills have increased amazingly,” she said.
To learn more about the swim program, contact Nemours Health and ask about enrollment.