05/29/2026
Grab the tissues. Here’s a message from one of our swim mamas. 😭♥️
I almost didn’t go.
But I said to myself give it a shot.
Prayed before I left and headed out.
I got there early to help him ease into the area with the sounds, lights and new place.
Went to the changing room to get on his swim nappy but the curtain closing was scary and he didn’t like it.
Let him crawl around some. Turned out to be bad idea as the waiting/play area was too overwhelming and he was already upset about the changing room curtain and he went into a raging fit.
The poor bystanders got a first hand view at a full self harming autistic meltdown. What a full cross body restraint hold looks like, and what a mother with tears rolling down her face doing the best she can looks like.
I almost left.
I got up from the floor looking like I’d been attacked by a cat with my skin burning and claw marks all over my neck and face a some dried blood scratches and he had full circles of welts on his arms from biting himself because I was struggling to keep him in the restraint hold.
I asked myself “why am I here? Why am I doing this to myself and him?”
And I reminded myself that drowning is the LEADING cause of death to autistic children.
It’s the number 1 cause of death!!
That’s why I’m here.
I have to give this a shot.
I have to say I’ve tried everything I could.
I said a prayer.
His time came up and I walked into the pool area.
That’s when God said watch this.
The noise was loud. Echos from every direction, babies screaming, water splashing, pool motors humming, bare feet on a cold wet floor, a new tight swim suit and whatever this new thing is mom put on my butt…
(As an autistic mom we become trained in scanning for these things knowing what his nervous system is taking in. )
But then he catches a glimpse of a little girl practicing jumping into the pool.
He went into a fit of hysterical laughter. Just pure joy because apparently jumping into water is the funniest sight he has ever seen.
It was God having his hand in it.
I met our instructor.
Told her he doesn’t talk so he won’t respond to her, he doesn’t like singing and doesn’t want his head touched by anything, and asked if she knew how to do a proper restraint hold for her and his safety.
Her response. “My brother is autistic and I know exactly how to handle this”
Tears. Thank you Lord for placing him in capable arms.
I left to go watch behind the glass. My mom (who happened to be in the area) came to support and lend a hand.
She rubbed my back in that motherly reassuring way that I also do my kids.
What happened next was nothing short of “a God thing”
Within a few minutes he went from self harming and combative to the happiest giggles and squeals.
Y’all he didn’t do any worse than any of the other kids and if I’m being honest I think he actually did better than a couple of the others.
I ugly cried looking through the glass. I’m sure others thought I was crazy.
This was huge for my son.
Did he like goggles, no.
Did he like being dunked, also no.
But he was able to calm back down after those fits in a normal amount of time and continue with the session.
His instructor is Hannah and she was some sort of mixture of gentle and loving and safe and familiar that he needed.
I’m not gonna put pressure on myself and say he will be able to complete safety swim lessons but instead we will take it day by day and as of right now we will go back for another session.
Because this isn’t just for safe summer fun at the beach. For him it could be life or death more so than the other kids.
It’s trying to do everything we can to change the statistics on the relationship of autism and water.
