Bathing suit for autistic boy - Any suggestions

[SofiaAmes]

Hi. One of my ds's (5) closest friends is autistic (high functioning, aspergers) and his mother has just started him with swimming lessons and is having a bit of a problem, so I told her that I'd ask Mumsnet for help....
He hates water, but his mother managed to convince him that he has to at least try swimming lessons. However, he also hates having his skin uncovered and hates funny feeling fabrics. He did his first lesson in a cotton long sleeved t-shirt, which was fairly impractical as it just got wet and heavy. I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and whether they have any suggestions of a long sleeved swimming top that wouldn't feel funny (ie not slippery and synthetic) to an autistic child.

Learning to swim in a t-shirt isn't such a bad idea, what else will he be wearing if he falls off a pier/into a canal? My son had 3 of his usual lessons in ordinary clothes (although not shoes, but that would have been ideal, too), precisely so the children in the class could get a feel for swimming with heavy clothes on.

If he won't wear a swimsuit at the pool, presumably he won't wear one at the beach, either. The only way he'd end up in the water would probably therefore be whist wearing his clothes, no?

how about the second one down on this \link{http://www.littlesunshines.co.uk/boys.htm\link}

or \link{http://www.youngexplorers.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_UV_resistant_swimwear_37.html\one of these}. I have sposh swimsuits for the little ones and they feel and look like cotton. Ds1 would wear one when he was three and he wouldn't wear the shiny nylon type stuff.