Making waves: School offers adaptive swim classes for children with special needs

Drowning rates among children are on the rise in the United States and children with special needs are at higher risk.

It is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children between 5 and 14 years old with an estimated 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To stem that tide, Big Blue Swim School is helping families focus on water safety through adaptive swim lessons for children with special needs at its Naperville and Glendale locations.

Children with autism are at risk of drowning 160 times more than the general pediatric population, according to a 2017 study from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

“Swim safety is huge, it’s a life skill,” said Rachael Roth, owner and operator of Big Blue Swim School’s Naperville and Glendale franchise locations. “With drowning rates (rising), specifically at the younger ages, it’s so important to learn and understand water safety.”

The school is partnering with Swim Angelfish to implement their Swim Whisperers Methodology alongside its own swim safety curriculum.

“We have our instructors become certified through them using the Swim Whisperers Methodology,” Roth said. “They’ve taught us the ability to hold adaptive swim lessons, that way we’re able to teach any kid with any ability — whether it be sensory, cognitive or physical needs.”

The certification requires completing a series of four online modules with Swim Angelfish, followed by practice in the water, according to Roth.

“We’re able to adapt our lessons to that specific child’s needs,” Roth said. “Every single kid should learn how to swim, and every kid can learn how to swim — we just need to meet kids where they’re at and understand their actual needs.”

Prospective adaptive swim students and their families can meet with Big Blue instructors ahead of signing up for lessons to familiarize themselves with the space and identify their specific goals and needs.

“Whether it’s a child with anxiety, a child with autism — we kind of take that and address the different strategies and challenges,” Roth said. “We offer that free trial class so we can answer any questions for the parents. We start with a tour of the facility, asking the kid questions, and just making sure they understand who their instructor is, what’s going to happen next and what it looks like.”

Instructors are matched with students based on their specific strengths, according to Roth, fostering a learning environment committed to teamwork.

“The million dollar question is, ‘How long does it take for my child to learn how to swim?’ — it just depends on the kid,” said Roth. “If you want to learn how to play piano, you have to commit to it, and you have to play regularly. It’s practicing. With reading, math, learning an instrument or any other sport, it’s making that commitment and consistency of continuing to practice.”

Swim lessons are offered to children between 3 months and 12 years, with adult lessons in the works, Roth said.

“I’ve noticed the earlier you start, the more comfortable your kid is in and around the water. So it kind of helps alleviate some of the anxiety or fears of water in their ears or water in their face,” Roth said.

Easing those fears takes patience and creativity, according to Roth.

Tools such as ankle weights often are used to help students with balance and buoyancy, and collaboration from family members can be a tool in itself.

“We’ve learned a lot of different strategies to help with some of the roadblocks kids come in with, whether it’s putting goggles on, putting their face in the water, breaking the water surface, being able to go on their back and have water in their ears — every kid is different,” Roth said.

“You can train and understand all the different potential needs that can come through the door, but the challenge is also making sure we can adapt to them right away,” Roth said.

Prices for adaptive swim lessons vary between Big Blue Swim School’s Naperville and Glendale locations, with one-on-one and group session options available to help children achieve their swim safety goals.

“As we have a child in our lesson, their roadblock might change because we’ve already accomplished it and moved past it — so then it’s like, what’s the next step and how do we get there,” Roth said. “We continue to evaluate the different swim skills, and then we can up those benchmarks of where they’re at.”