Swimming lessons with autistic children

[Mumbythesea1]

Both of our DC are autistic (10 and 12). They can both swim and have been having lessons since they were three. However over the last three years or so they are both not making
progress. We have changed swimming pool and teacher twice but they continue to not make progress. DH and I watch their lessons and it is clear that they are overwhelmed by the whole experience. It’s also a battle to get them to go in the first place. We can’t afford 1:1 lessons for them.
I don’t know whether we should persevere or give up on lessons as they can swim?
if you have a similar situation what did you do?
I feel bad for giving up on lessons but don’t think it’s worth the upset it causes them.

3 ASD kids here.

All had lessons until they were competent swimmers then could choose whether to carry on.

The overwhelm at the pool is huge sometimes, definitely one of those things that can be dropped once they have got what they need out of it.

With our ASD child we kept her in lessons until she got good enough to not drown if she fell in the water. She just needed to be able to swim a little. She didn’t need technique. That took a surprisingly long time, but after many years we got there. Then we stopped.

we go swimming just for fun now.

You've said they can swim. Could they do a couple of lengths? My Autistic DD gave up at age 8, if I'm remembering rightly she just didn't go back after the pandemic, but I think she could do 50m.

What stage? A lot of kids gets stuck at stage 6 because there starts to be more focus on proper technique.

If they can swim a couple of hundred metres but are stuck in a stage because they can't get the hang of butterfly, id say OK to stop lessons.

If they can "swim" but struggle with one or more if the other strokes and can only really manage one or two 25m lengths, I'd try and persevere.

Could you take a break, save up and have a term or two of private lessons? If they aren’t progressing with the lessons they are having then it’s not a good use of money anyway

My autistic son stopped formally learning to swim when covid closed his lessons down. It was sometime before we went to a pool again, at which point i realised he could swim and was very comfortable in the pool. He doesn’t really follow any recognised technique (loves swimming under the water) but loves swimming and we go regularly. Now we do lane swimming in the slow lane and i have taught him to go in the correct direction that’s all. My point is if they can swim now but are struggling with formal lessons i’d stop and just take them to the pool for fun if they want to go.

We got stuck on one level for 2.5 years!
I let her quit at end of primary. She's decent enough and hates water sports