Autism, Drowning, and the Need for Swim Lessons

The Politics of Autism discusses the dangers facing autistic people, including wandering and drowning.

Tana Carson and Tania Santiago Perez at The Conversation:

Many autistic children tend to wander, which can lead them away from safe, supervised areas into unprotected, unsupervised settings – and potentially toward hazards like open water. This puts these children at increased risk for drowning, particularly if they do not know how to swim.

Swimming lessons can help reduce drowning risk, but changes to traditional classes may be required in order to meet the unique needs of autistic learners.

Autistic children communicate in a wide variety of ways, ranging from nonspeaking to highly talkative. The environment of a busy pool may trigger sensory overload and distress, causing children to cry or want to leave. Overload can also lead to difficulty following instructors’ directions. They may need extra time and assistance for emotional regulation, or need encouragement and motivation to stay engaged. Some may not want to be touched and prefer visual examples for learning new skills in the water.

For the average swim instructor, who may be teaching up to 10 children at a time and may not have training in supporting autistic children, figuring out how to meet individual needs can be a challenge.

Adaptive swim lessons, which are provided by instructors experienced at meeting autistic children’s unique learning and behavior needs, may better set them up for success. These lessons tend to have fewer participants, or even offer one-on-one instruction, allowing for plenty of individual attention. The instructor may use tools and strategies such as play-based approaches, visual schedules, sensory strategies or a consistent routine to help the child feel comfortable and successful.

Prevention of Drowning

The Politics of Autism discusses the dangers facing autistic people, including wandering and drowning.

From the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate:

Ahead of the 4th of July weekend, the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) and the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) are expanding their Autism, Wandering & Water Safety awareness campaign focused on drowning prevention and emergency preparation for children with autism. The safety campaign includes a dedicated webpage mass.gov/AutismWaterSafety, with tools and strategies to help prevent these deaths.

The campaign includes videos in English and Spanish featuring a local mother whose child is autistic and has in the past wandered away, with information about tools to help caregivers keep their children safe.

 Jonaki Mehta and Janet W. Lee at NPR:

Kids with autism are 160 times more likely than other children to die from drowning, according to a seminal 2017 study from Columbia University. In fact, in Florida, most children drown in backyard pools. That's largely because about half of autistic children have a tendency to wander from safe settings. That fact, combined with an attraction to water can make for a dangerous combination. Quality swim lessons can help.

That's one of the reasons Mackenzie's parents enrolled her in Swim Buddies, the YMCA of South Florida's low-cost program aimed at children with disabilities. It's also why the state of Florida, which has one of the highest childhood drowning rates in the nation, is expanding a voucher program on July 1 that will put children ages 1-7 who have autism at the front of the line for subsidized swim lessons. "We have tragic circumstances and stories across the state of Florida of young children with autism that are wandering away, they're eloping from their homes, from their classrooms," says Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat, and one of the lawmakers who sponsored the bipartisan bill that changed the state's swim vouchers.

Drowning and Autistic Children

The Politics of Autism discusses the dangers facing autistic people, including wandering and drowning.

Jyesha Johnson at KRIV-TV in Houston:

Over the span of just a few months, recent drownings involving autistic children in the Houston area have shed light on the alarming reality that these children are at significantly greater risk of drowning.

According to the Autism Society, drowning is the leading cause of death among children with autism, with 91% of fatalities occurring in those aged 14 years or younger. Children with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers, underscoring the critical need for vigilance and safety measures.

Four tragic incidents reported between June and September underscore the urgent need for awareness and preventive measures.

SEARCH WATER FIRST: Autism and Drowning

The Politics of Autism discusses the dangers facing autistic people, including wandering.

 Patricia Davis at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

There’s been a dramatic spike in drownings of children with autism this summer, with three more kids drowning just this week, raising the total to 26 children.

“It’s been the worst summer on record for autism and wandering in terms of fatalities,” said Lori Mcllwain, co-founder of the National Autism Association (NAA), whose son has autism. “We’re trying to get the word out to parents to be extra vigilant. We usually see two or three deaths per month on average. Now we’re seeing two or three a week.”

Today, in conjunction with NAA, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), is releasing an urgent alert to remind the public and first responders to SEARCH WATER FIRST when a child with autism is missing. Children with autism often wander, or bolt, from safe environments and many are drawn to water.

John Bischoff, who oversees our Missing Children Division, said NCMEC knew we had to do something more when we saw this shocking increase.

“We want to urge people to be more vigilant,” Bischoff said. “It’s important that everyone understands what to do in these fast-moving situations, not just the families of these children. You could save a life.”

 Michael Cuglietta, Orlando Sentinel:

Children with autism are especially susceptible to the risk of drowning, as they tend both to wander away and to be attracted to water, experts say. That has led advocates to push for specialized swim lessons attuned to those kids’ situations, but much more needs to be done.

So far this year, 23 children with autism have died by drowning in Florida, including six in Central Florida, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families. Those deaths account for nearly 30% of the 81 such deaths reported in 2024 in Florida, which leads the nation in childhood drowning.