Swimming is an extremely good therapy for children and adults with autism. On top of this it is a unique social outlet. Amongst many advantages [1] Swimming can help someone with Autism improve their coordination, social skills, speech, self esteem and cognition.
Swimming and water therapy are recently emerging areas of research looking into the benefits for people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). So far studies suggest that swimming should no longer be viewed as simply a way of retaining technique and fitness, and instead we should appreciate its therapeutic benefits. A study conducted by [2] Chien- Yu Pan (2010), evaluated that students saw improvements in their social and communication skills over a 10 week period of once weekly, 45 minute swim sessions.
It would seem that water provides several needs of a person with autism, that allows them to gain from therapy. Water reduces body weight by 90%, in turn lowering stress on the body during therapeutic exercises[3]. The warmth of the water helps relax tight muscles, which is especially helpful as autistic people often deal with spasticity and tension due to anxiety. On top of this the energy needed to move through the water The energy required to move against the force of water tends to use up excess energy, which increases attention and focus’s for other daily activities.
Emerging research is highlighting how water therapy can improve a person’s capacity to perform daily living tasks in the home, and beyond [4]. Unfortunately results may differ as each child is individual, however most people will see some benefit from swimming. It will be fascinating to see how research develops in the future, but you can already see the benefits just from observing people with Autism swimming.
With my brother Jacob it took 10 years to get him to swim. At first he would fidget, not focus, and it was difficult to find to swim teachers that were patient with him. My mother and I remember thinking It would be great to see him swim a length of the pool. Now he is 13 and has 1 to 1 sessions with an instructor, and he has much improved. Whilst he can be cheeky, he now swims with no floats . Whilst he still has his disability, which is part of him he is much better and confident. It makes me so happy to see him swim, it makes my day and I am so proud of him. Swimming is so important as it is one of the key skills in life that everyone should have, and at the end of the day can help people if they do ever end up in the scary situation of falling into water.
From my experience with getting Jacob to swim, you have to just keep persisting with helping your disabled child and not give up . Eventually something will click in their heads and they will start doing an activity that people take for granted. It is so rewarding to see when it happens and makes them one step closer to independence. I would suggest asking for 1 to 1 sessions and having a teacher who pushes your disabled child/adult and is aware of their disability as well as their needs.
1 https://autismswim.com.au/2017/03/17/benefits-swimming-beyond-pool/
2 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1362361309339496
4 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0271121410369708
Jacob's Time 