I have been thinking about putting my 26mo asd in a swim class. I just wonder how will he learn to hold his breath? He absolutely loves the water but freaks when it's time to wash his hair. Since we live in the city, there are a few places but the YMCA near me doesn't offer the speacial needs classes. Does anyone's child swim?
Tamika
I agree with some of the comments- DS would not be able to participat
in a preschool class. That's what's nice about about the Parent/child
class. I'm with him the whole time and the kids are 6-36 months.
It's very laid back. But he has learned some great skill- kicking,
jumping into the water, blowing bubbles.
Our local YMCA has a one-one swimming lessons program for kids with
special needs. I will probably look into doing that for next year.
Maybe other YMCA's have that across the country?
The one thing that scares me though is that DS is so attracted to the
water he would just jump in wihtout thinking. Any ideas on how to teach
him that he can go into the water only with Mommy? I have been wanting to put my son in swim lessons as he LOVES the water and has to wear a special suit to keep him afloat. But the county I live in doesn't offer it. They don't even have a community center pool. The nearest pool that would offer lessons is about 45 minutes away. Frankly that is too much of a drive for a 10 minute lesson and also it seems to be kind of expensive. I guess for now he will continue wearing the suit.Our kids have always felt at home in the water. Of course
I started them out with every possible flotation device available.
By the time they were big enough for swim lessons (with
out all of the flotation devices) they were able to relax and
kick their feet and float. I have always gotten into the
water with them which helps them feel more at ease.
One thing I stress to parents at the pool I work at is to not get upset
if their child does not pass a level of swimming lessons even
after taking the same class a few times. Swimming
takes practice.....more than just during the lessons.
It shouldn't be looked upon as a failure.....some kids just take a bit
more time....that's ok....it shouldn't be something to stress
over.....it should be fun!
Summer is swimming season for our family! I'm glad to hear your kids are enjoying it too!
I heartily agreee. I am just thrilled with the progress that Ben made in the pool.His lessons are one-to-one andon the surface he looks NT. But if another person gets in the water, things start to come unglued. The more people. the quicker and more dramatic the exit! Ben is is even beginning to generalize some of the skills that he has learned into our friend's pool. I couldn't be more pleased. I take nothing for granted, andI thank God for it all. JanetMy son also absolutely loves being in the water. We signed him up this summer for lessons through the American Red Cross, but he had a difficult time in the class. Not only did he have his delays to deal with, but the class was for ages 3 to 5 and he was youngest by a LOT in the class (he had just turned 3 a month earlier). The waiting for his turn was too much for him; I'll have to see how much progress he makes in his preschool this year and then decide if we want to try again next summer. Ideally, I'd like to either find a class that caters to children w/ special needs, or get him some private instruction (unfortunately, private lessons here are SO expensive!). Right now, he uses arm floaties and a little device DH got him at Toys R Us that helps him float - it's similar to a lifejacket. We've been taking Parent/ Child swimming classes with DS for the past
12 weeks at our local community center. He has really enjoyed them. He
helps give sensory input, helps motor planning. Plus he loves water and
they use songs so he has a great time. I also think swimming is an
important skill to teach him b/c he's so drawn to water.
So for those with young kids out there- if you are looking for a fun
and cheap way to do just "regular" kids stuff you may want to look into
swimming.