(WSVN) - A group in South Florida is making a splash when it comes to keeping children safe in the water, especially kids with special needs. 7’s Vanessa Medina introduces us to these lifesaving instructors in tonight’s 7 Spotlight.
Some children are never taught to swim, simply because no one is willing to teach them.
Mindy York, Baby Otter Swim School: “We’re doing a lot of kids on the spectrum, where other schools turn them down.”
The Autism Society of Florida says children with autism are even less likely to know how to swim, even though many are drawn to water.
Mindy York: “So, ‘Oh, there’s water.’ It’s like a magnet — ‘I’m running towards the water’ — and that’s what they do.”
That was Kimberly Miller’s concern. Her daughter Karoline is 3 years old and showing signs of autism.
Kimberly Miller, parent: “Delayed in speech, eye contact, repetition of things.”
Karoline is taking swimming lessons from Baby Otter Swim School.
After successfully teaching kids for years, the school realized children on the autism spectrum were being left out because other schools would refuse to teach them.
Mindy York: “They’ll take their hands, and they’ll hit, or they’ll smack you in the face, or they’ll punch you, or they’ll kick you. They don’t mean it; it’s just their only way of expressing their fear.”
The instructors at Baby Otter Swim School developed ways to teach kids with autism in a way that is sensitive to their condition.
Tara White: “I have visuals, like, if they’re nonverbal and they can’t speak, we show them with cards. Some don’t like for you to hold them this way.”
Karoline is learning a technique called “turn, kick, reach.” If she falls in a pool, she will know how to turn over, swim to the edge, and reach for the wall or steps.
It’s the same technique the instructors taught to one of their former students, Layla Crehan.
She was turned away from several other swim schools.
Mindy York: “We said, ‘Bring her over.’ So 15 years it’s been, later, Layla has over 30 gold and silver medals in the Special Olympics.”
Although it’s too early to tell if Karoline is destined to be a champion swimmer, her mother is happy to see her daughter learning to swim, and excited that someone is there to help.
Kimberly Miller: “I am a lot more comfortable around a pool, I’m not constantly – I’m not a helicopter mom. Like, granted, I’m still watching, but I’m not attached to her hip.”
And that’s what the instructors here love to see.
Mindy York: “We know that what we do can make a difference in the world of children on the spectrum. I always want to tell parents, ‘There is hope. There is hope.'”
And that hope provides a wave of relief for parents.
Vanessa Medina, 7News.
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