He’s a Really Good Swimmer, Really
September 19, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
“Pool,” was Charlie’s request and so, with “suit on” (as in swimsuit) off we went. It was just after 6pm and something was going on in every room of our YMCA: Men in suits hurrying to get in a workout, five girls of varying heights concentrating as they faced a dance instructor, moms in sweats chatting together and watching their kids at swim practice. Charlie was eager and smiling.
I knew that Charlie would only be able to swim in the “family pool,” an L-shaped 3 1/2 feet deep pool connected to two water slides, and merging into a wading pool with a slide for preschoolers. I had checked the pool schedule: All during the week, only this pool was open; there are two pools for swimming laps and the swim teams were using both. I explained this to Charlie as we went in, and he did not try to go into those two big pools. He did ask “slide” hopefully a few times and then tried to climb into the slides from the bottom, each time catching my eye and, after a few more grinning attempts, getting down. Charlie did not swim except for a few strokes at the end of the pool where a small basketball hoop is set up.
What Charlie did do was stand and watch: At first four girls just a bit older than him, and then a few more girls and a boy, came in from swim practice and started to play, first basketball, then a bit of dodgeball but the lifeguard stopped that, and then modified water polo. The group was in one section of the “L” of the pool; Charlie stood in the other, his hand sometimes tapping the surface of the water. Just past them, I could see lines of children swimming laps, the coaches standing on the sidelines with hands on hips and stopwatches going.
I started to feel that something was wrong with this picture.
I knew that, if Charlie were in one of the bigger pools, he’d be swimming laps. Not in perfect freestyle, I acknowledge, and he would probably duck under the water to sink to the bottom, headfirst, as he adores doing. But with some coaxing and reminders and given the chance, Charlie could certainly do a lot of laps. But (as the pool schedule dictated) confined to the “family pool,” Charlie wandered in the water and gave no sign of being the ocean swimmer that he is. When all you’re given is a 3 1/2 feet pool, it’s hard to show what you can really do.
There is a Special Olympics program at the YMCA; it meets once a week starting later in the fall, but how can Charlie practice if he only gets to use the main pools on the weekends? I asked the lifeguard about lessons and the first thing mentioned was a special program for special needs kids, in a group lesson.
Now, I try very hard to be completely honest about Charlie’s abilities. It does not help in his IEP meeting to demand (in Charlie’s case) that his teachers teach him “the” and “is” and “in” and “are”; Charlie has a very hard time grasping those more abstract words and is making nice progress with an ever-growing collection of nouns. Charlie needs pictures on his calendars; he needs a 1:1 student:teacher ratio in his classroom. And so, this evening at the pool, it just did not make sense for Charlie to splash in what was almost a wading pool for him, and not have some way to swim in the big pool, and I had to say something. After Charlie got out, I talked to someone in the Aquatics office and was told to call someone else to get Charlie on a list for private lessons: I called from the YMCA family restroom, while Charlie was showering.
The thought occurred to me, I’d just like to talk to someone about Charlie being able to swim in one of the big pools. Sometimes there are “adult lap swim” hours on the pool schedule and Charlie is excluded obviously on the grounds of age. I understand that rules can’t be bent “just for him,” and that the two pools are needed for the swim team. But what if Charlie could just swim a few laps occasionally in one of the big pools? As many times as I say, “Charlie’s a really good swimmer,” I still suspect the pool staff won’t believe it until they see it.
And I understand that, why, if all you’re given is a 3 1/2 feet pool, it’s hard to show what you can really do.
I think Charlie should be given a chance, in fact, several chances if necessary, to show how well he can swim in the big pool. He should be given the opportunity to practice in the big pool also, without a lot of people around, to give him enough confidence and a little edge when it comes time to prove himself. I’ve never been real good with rules, there are times when exceptions should be made. There’s no RULE that says that a person with autism can’t grow to become a world class athlete; they will, however, probably need a little extra help and support in getting there.
And another thing; Haven’t these YMCA people seen the Jason McElwain video? Don’t they realize just how important a successful participation in a sport can be in the development of a young person with ASD? When will we learn?
Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant. This post has really struck a nerve with me.
Kristina,
You are a resourceful person, so apologies if you have already tried these avenues. I can see that being restricted to the little pool must be irritating.
1. Would there be any point in calling the Special Olympics swim program and ask them how/where their athletes get in their practice time and opportunities? They might have some inside info.
2. Is it possible to schedule an appointment with the facility Aquatics Director and discuss the matter with that person? Perhaps s/he could schedule a tryout for the big pool, or discuss options with you if the matter is pool etiquette or stroke mechanics.
3. As a longtime Y member in the west, I am kind of blown away that there is no “big pool” option available. We have dedicated lap-swim lanes and swim team time, but there are many early evening blocks when the large, deep-end pool is at least partially available for family, deep water therapy and recreational swimming, with minors accompanied by a chaperone over the age of 16. Jeez, even the public city pools have those options.
Kristina, try to speak directly to the executive director of the Y. That’s what I ended up doing at our Y. The director is willing to work with me to set up some specific times when I can get Nik into the pool using all the supports he needs (noodles, floats, etc.) and has been very willing to “bend the rules” for us. He is currently working on finding an appropriate instructor to work 1:1 with us when the time is right. Sometimes, the person at the top has a more global view of how helping our children fits in with the overall mission/vision of the Y organization. Good luck!
My son’s abilities are also underestimated some times by other people. It really bothers me when people say “oh, he has autism, then he can’t make it in a group with peers. Why don’t you try something else?”. Something else, is usualy far below his real ability the way I have experienced it and I understand it. It doesn’t matter if it is about swimming, basketball, theater-acting etc. Unless you give someone a chance, don’t reject him and put his fellings down.
You’ll never know if you don’t ask.
Such great comments! Stamp your feet (gently) and get your boy regular swim time in a big pool at the Y. Charlie will be a star on the Special Olympics Swim Team, is that in his future? Medals and new friends are next.
I’ve already left my first message for the Aquatics Director………
I spent 7 years swimming competitively up through high school. Space in the lap pool is sometimes quite valuable. This is especially true where the focus on the team is on winning. It is not clear to me the others could do their workouts with Charlie in there as well.
However! Many coaches and athletes I know do so for the love of the sport. They would go out of their way to see that someone similarly interested/passionate about the sport, at any level, has the opportunity. If not at the Y, then somewhere else.
The Aquatics director is a good place to start, and talk to the coach.
I have been scrutinizing the pool schedule: The big pools are open daily for anyone to swim in, but during the time that Charlie is at school. The lap pool is for swimmers 14 and over so that is to be looked into!
The aquatic director might suggest this: I have found the quickest way around such policies is to sign up for private lessons. When the private instructor sees Charlie’s swimming abilities and you chiming in with the “wouldn’t it be great if”s, the instructor could supervise his lap swimming for several lessons and thus reassure the director that there wouldn’t be problems if Charlie did it under your supervision later.
Do you have a pool at your university that he could use? We use ours a great deal of the time. Just a thought, until you straighten this out with the Y.
You might be surprised by how accommodating the Y might be. I hope so, anyway. If not, though, what about calling one of the larger, local highschools? They usually have lap pools for the swim team, and there’s no way they are in use every afternoon.
I sympathize, Kristina. I went through the same thing with Lola looking for a gymnastic class for her. She won’t sit quietly and follow instructions like the regular 3 year old class, but she’s WAY too physically coordinated and advanced for one of the younger classes. I am still looking for a good open gym, where she can try the balance beam and parallel bars for a change. Of course, that would mean I would have to instruct her, and my skills are about nil – I can’t even do a cartwheel.
Lolasmom,
Are you by any chance in the LA area? There are several programs here in adaptive gymnastics which incorporate gymnastics at a regular gymnastics school/gym with sensory integration and other OT techniques.
Lolasmom, I can’t even turn a forward roll!
Nah, I’m in Columbus, Ohio. It’s a pretty big city, so I’m sure there are a lot of programs here. I just have yet to find the right one.
Kristina, I’m glad I’m not the only one! I’ve actually never been able to do a cartwheel – I think I was one of like 3 girls who didn’t try out for cheerleading in jr. high. Luckily Lola takes after her father when it comes to her athleticism. I could do with less jumping on the bed, balancing across the back of the couch, and climbing over the fence, though…
I curious to know if anything came about finding Charlie a place to swim. I have a 9 year old with mild cerebral palsy and mentally at 47%. Abigail LOVES to swim. She is overweight and I think structured swimming would be wonderful for her. I am just starting out trying to find out how to get her involved in a program and work towards Special Olympics. Any advice on where to start?
We have not gotten too far—we’ve spoken to some other parents with autistic kids and one mother said that her husband takes her son (he’s a bit older than Charlie) to the pool and they swim together in a lane. Have you been in contact with whoever runs the Special Olympics?
What I really think would help Charlie is to have a 1:1 swimming lesson and he is on the (very long) waiting list for private lessons at the Y, along with a number of other children. Looking for a teacher who’s willing to use some ABA-type techniques to teach Charlie is still a goal on my list. Has your daughter taken private lessons?
Abigail has not had private lessons. I have just recently began looking into Special Olympics. I got on-line and it looked like we need to get our own coach??? This is all new to me. My husband is 90% of the time bedridden, and I am having major back surgery (from moving around both of them) in June. I wanted to try to get Abigail involved in something before my surgery, so that she isn’t couped up for 5 weeks when I am down. I will call Special Olympics today for direction.
The Special Olympics seems to vary from state to state—–we looked into the program in our state and were told that our son has to be able to do strokes. He really needs a 1:1 teacher and private lessons to learn these—maybe the Special Olympics could recommend someone?
Sounds like you have a very lot going on—-
Thank you for your information, and for this board. Can I ask what state you are in?