Autism

[Atipipipi]

My 9yr old son has ASD and he loves swimming, can someone tell me how I can get him swimming lessons so that the can be safe in the pool? I can't swim so I can't teach him. Is there a school that can teach special needs kids to swim? Please I need help..

You could ask at the local pools if they can recommend any instructors that do one to one lessons. Most have them, but they're not cheap. You might be able to find a recommendation for someone that has experience of autism, or who is willing to learn.

If you are Anywhere near stanmore the Aspire centre does. Or they might be able to suggest somewhere near you.

Where are you?

Depending where you live, sometimes the council will have special needs swimming lessons. Good idea to ask at the local pool too. There are also some private swimming schools who do one-to-one or small-group lessons and may be able to help depending on your DS's needs - I used Swimming Nature with my own DS who has an ASC though they're not cheap.

where are you? our local pool has a teacher who specialises in teaching dc with sn - she taught ds2 and ds3 both asd

Lots of special schools have pools and may have lessons going already - try ringing around locally, if you are in the south east I have a couple of suggestions

If you are anywhere near Liverpool, Star Swimming Academy provides fantastic 1:1 lessons for children with SEN. My own DS has autism and they were great at building his confidence and making swimming fun. We did 4 rounds of 1:1 at £80 for 6 lessons and now we take him and great fun as a family.
I also know that local swimming pools do have instructors for 1:1 as well. You need to phone and ask.

We use a local pool swimming instructor who already teaches several other kids with ASD. It is not cheap, but we get some of it funded by Short Breaks Cash Alternative as it really helps with his sensory processing issues.

My DS has subsidised 1:1 at the local sports centre through a scheme run by the county council, we pay for one lesson a month and the other weeks are free, definitely worth asking at yours.

Do you get direct payments?

I've joined a local health club with my three DC (eldest is Autistic, youngest has what are currently identified as complex needs i.e. Pre Autism diagnosis). It cheaper than swimming lessons for us, because I can take them in the water. It also has fantastic big, very quiet family/ disabled changing rooms with big bench, child seat, shower, toilet etc and lockable door so i can get them all washed/ changed without too much distraction.

I would however like to get more instruction for DS1 and the health club do 1-1 lessons which are far cheaper and at quieter times than the local pool. I'm hoping that we can get direct payments and use them for this.

Do you mean direct payments for the short breaks cash alternative? Yes they pay a lump sum every month into a special account.

(We have to agree with them upfront at the beginning of the year what the money will be used for and how much on each activity)

I'm not trying to sound rude, but why does he need special swim lessons? ASD is mild autism and he most likely goes to a regular school (unless he doesn't), with NT kids. Why does he need a different instructor than a NT kid? I only ask this as I had ADHD as a kid and still did ok in normal groups despite attention difficulties and goofing around.

ASD = autistic spectrum disorder - how do you make out that = mild autism, Princess? The OP's DS could be anywhere on the range!

You grew out of your ADHD, did you Princess?

ASD can mean anything from mild to severe - my DS is currently presenting as moderate to severe. He has full time one on one at school. One of his biggest problems is focus and listening, and he finds it very hard to understand an instruction and then follow it. So the swimming is a good way to help him practice this in a motivational context. He also has sensory issues which the swimming also helps with.

A lot of classes will not take children with special needs who need one to one - we didn't actually even try, as certainly for swimming it would be a safety risk (he's only five and can't swim yet).

princessbabycat Op's ds might have issues with sensory processing eg feel of the water, feeling cold, water in his face or eyes etc all being problematic or upsetting for him. An instructor who only usually teaches Neurotypical kids may not be used to or trained to cope with these difficulties, and a bog standard group swim lesson setup would not be useful to either op's ds or the other kids as it would just be stressful to her ds and disruptive and even unsafe, so one on one with an experienced teacher would be better.
Op ring your leisure centre they'll be helpful!

ASD stands for autism spectrum disorder and isn't mild. It is a spectrum of impairments which affect each individual differently. My son has Asperger's Syndrome, which many mistakenly think to be on the mild end of the spectrum, he talks fluently and is not prone to many of the stereotyped autism behaviours (meltdowns, tics, lack of eye contact). However that, together with his other impairments (many people with autism have other impairments too, which are also not visible) makes group swimming lessons not work for him. He copes with mainstream school, Cubs etc just fine, but swimming did not work out.

Oh chill. I said I wasn't trying to be rude. Calm your tits, sooth your boobs, all that.

I thought ASD stood for aspergers for some reason. My Aspie friends refer to it as ASD. Which I guess makes sense since aspergers is on the spectrum. My bad. :)

No, I did not grow out of ADHD. I meant as a kid with ADHD.

Princess , your ignorance is astounding. You do not know op ds and what his needs and difficulties are. A lot of children with Autism need 121 or support in activities, especially swimming where safety is paramount! It places a lot of pressure on the teacher as well. Autism is a lifelong disorder, only when some children get older into adulthood, their coping strategies may be better so may appear 'normal'.

If you are in N London try Poolside Manor in Finchley, lovely very small family run swimming club that specialises in teaching kids. Pool is warm and has an extended shallow end.

My DS has AS, was educated in MS right up to A levels and is confident in water.
He still almost drowned when he was 10 when the cover swimming teacher had no experience of ASD and expected him to manage 3 things simultaneously in his group.
He managed the two new things, but forgot about breathing. Fortunately one of the others fished him off the bottom.
Princess, you don't know very much about the spectrum, but perhaps you are a bit less confused now?

I am a swimming teacher (hobby not main job) and we try to ensure we are all inclusive however I know some swim schools aren't
There is a FB page called swim teachers network -- ask to join and then ask if there is anyone in your local area.