Helping Swimmers with Autism Go Underwater: Practical Tips for Success

Water safety: it's something we want everyone to have. But for some of our swimmers, particularly those with Autism and sensory sensitivities, the idea of comfortably going underwater can be a real struggle, causing a lot of anxiety. It makes you wonder, how can we truly teach them to be safe in the water if this first step feels so difficult? 

Developing comfort with submersion is a key element in transforming a potentially frightening experience into a manageable one, and it's essential for building the necessary skills and mindset for staying safe in and around water, ultimately improving chances of survival in an emergency.

It’s critical to work on this, within your swimmer’s tolerance, at each lesson. For swimmers who struggle with submersion, a common tendency is to swim vertically which is tiring and inefficient. However, by gradually building comfort with going underwater, their body alignment naturally becomes more horizontal leading to increased independence, ease, confidence, and improved swimming and water safety skills.

So, what are some practical ways to help swimmers with autism and sensory sensitivities become more comfortable going underwater? Here are two tips we've found to be particularly effective:

1. Ensure They Feel Grounded. Swimmers with sensory processing differences often have challenges with proprioception, awareness of their body’s position in space. Providing a stable surface, such as the pool stairs, and doing some jumping up and down on the stairs, allows their body to feel secure as they have input through their feet. From this grounded position, you can begin to gently introduce the concept of going underwater.

2. Gradual Introduction of Body Parts. Start by simply having them put their lips in the water, then progress to lips and nose, and then lips, nose, and eyes. This gentle, progressive approach, and labeling of the body parts to put in the water, allows them to acclimate at their own pace and understand the expectation in small increments. Before you know it, this approach can lead to them putting their whole face in the water more readily and comfortably than you might expect.

   
   

Give these tips a try in your next swimming lesson and see the difference they can make in fostering comfort with going underwater.

If you've found these tips useful and are looking for expert strategies to tackle other swimming challenges, such as mastering back float, improving comprehension of directions, or understanding sensory-seeking behaviors like excessive drinking or splashing, we highly recommend exploring the Adaptive Swim Whisperers Online Certification at swimangelfish.com.

This comprehensive training program was created by an experienced team of Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy professionals, offering time-tested solutions based on the underlying challenges in learning to swim. As a member of AOAP, you can also take advantage of our special partner discount of 10% off all our online courses and additional discounts apply for groups of 2 or more purchasing Swim Whisperers Level 1!

Bio: 

Ailene Tisser, PT, is the co-founder of Swim Angelfish.  She is a pediatric Physical Therapist with more than 30 years of experience treating a variety of diagnoses, both in and out of the water. She is NDT (Neuro-Developmental Treatment) trained in pediatrics and is trained in DIR/Floortime. She is currently certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES and a Certified Primitive Reflex Specialist. Ailene brings all of her Physical Therapy expertise into the water, where she helps children of all abilities feel safe, confident, and independent. She combines her passion and skill for working with children with special needs with the therapeutic properties of the water to achieve amazing results. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience by educating other Aquatic Professionals so that they can also make a significant impact on the lives of swimmers with special needs.