The Season for Swimming Safety Starts Now
Yesterday Charlie and I went swimming at the YMCA—-he was so, so excited that he ran across the parking lot, me on his heels. We both did a couple of laps in a nearly empty pool; the lifeguard was watching, quiet and a little bored (Charlie loudly calling out his teacher’s name at one point may have provided some unexpected excitement).
Later on at home I read about two children who drowned this week—one with autism in Minnesota, and one who was not autistic but lived closer to us, in New Jersey. Kaylie Dickerson wandered from her Blaine, MN, home and was found in a retention pool. David Konig was in the pool of a swim club; while the lifeguards were changing shifts, he drowned and was found floating beneath the overhang of a lifeguard stand. And I thought about Benjy Heil in Wisconsin.
No matter how good a swimmer a child is—-as Charlie is—you can’t let your eyes off of him.
3 opinions for The Season for Swimming Safety Starts Now
Aidoann
Jun 22, 2007 at 5:06 pm
As a lifeguard, it is important for parents to know that they should be monitoring their child while at the pool, especially if the child cannot swim. Sometimes, pools are very crowded and it is difficult for lifeguards to watch everyone in the area as much as they should. Parents can help by knowing where their children are (especially if the child is under 10 years of age) and encouraging them to stay near the edge if they cannot swim well.
Something else that parents can do is make sure that the kids know and follow the rules while at the pool. This usually includes no running, no diving (either into shallow water or at all), stay in the shallow area if you can’t swim, etc. Most of these are common sense, but kids (especially those on the autism spectrum) may need a little extra reminder from their parents.
If kids are older, having a buddy to swim with is a good idea, even if there is a lifeguard on duty. Not only does this provide a little extra watching, but it also a built-in playmate.
-Aidoann
Jen
Jun 23, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Even when we are watching, scary things can happen.
Last week, one of my students had an end of the year pool party at his house. He, and the other child I work with, who also came to the party, both swim very well. Since the other boy hadn’t been to this pool in about a year, I pushed him in the direction of, and showed him the steps a few times until he was making his way there on his own. So, to add to the tips Aidoann gave, I would suggest that you make sure everyone knows where/how to get out of the pool, especially those whose arms may not be strong enough to pull themselves up on the side.
Anyway, later on during the party, a third child came. The third child does not know how to swim, nor does his mother. Last year the third child looked like he desperately wanted to get in the pool when the party was at someone else’s house, but his mother was too scared to let him. This year, at my student’s pool, there is a smaller, hot tub section off of the main pool, shallow enough that the child could stand. So, we told his mom to put him in there. I, being the only adult in the pool, sat in it with him, while he jumped up and down splashing. After a while, he decided he would check out the pool. Faster than I could stop him, he was over the wall, and at the bottom of the pool. Unlike some other kids, who hit the bottom, flail around, and come back up, he did not. Myself, and one of my student’s mothers, pulled him back in to the hot tub. We were lucky, because we were more scared than him, and we had to nearly drag him out when it was time to go.
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[…] AutismVox, 6/22/07: “The Season for Swimming Safety Starts Now” …I read about two children who drowned this week… Kaylie Dickerson wandered from her Blaine, MN, home and was found in a retention pool. […]
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