BCBA Corner: Summer Safety
Summer Safety
Summer is a time to relax, breathe the salty water air, and enjoy the beautiful weather, but this also comes with an increase in safety concerns within the Autism community. According to the National Autism Association (n.d.), the leading cause of fatalities for Autistic children is drowning, with 70% of fatalities related to this cause after eloping from safe areas and/or people, and Autistic children are 160x more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers. Though these statistics are heart wrenching, there are resources and strategies to help keep your child safe!
Strategies
Swim Lessons
Teaching your child to swim is the first step in prevention. This will add valuable skills into your child’s skill repertoire to ensure their safety when near water.
Safety Instructions
Safety instructions, such as ‘Stop!’, ‘Stop and come here!’, and ‘Stop and wait!’, are great antecedent strategies to implement to deter elopement behaviors and decrease unsafe situations from occurring. Talk to your child’s BCBA about working on safety instructions if they do not yet respond to them.
Social Stories/Visuals
Social stories allow your child to learn safety rules and expectations through reading and/or videos. Visuals may help your child understand the day’s schedule and when getting in the water is expected, which can deter elopement behaviors and/or unsafe situations. This may look like an activity schedule, a clock, or a creative visual your child may enjoy such as switching a person to swim attire from street clothing. Below are a few resources and examples:
https://autismsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Water-Social-Story.pdf
https://autismswim.com.au/water-safety-app/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGte2QFX1ZE
Resources
SAFESPLASH - HOLLY SPRINGS; (919) 391-4995; 301 Earnie Ln Holly Springs NC 27540
SAFESPLASH + SWIMLABS -
MORRISVILLE (TRIANGLE); (919) 391- 9250; 115 Parkside Valley Dr., Unit 10 Morrisville NC 27560
SAFESPLASH - CONCORD (AFTON RIDGE) 6330 Bayfield Pkwy Concord NC 28027
Diversability Swim Lessons @ the Y; 919-719-9622; 801 Corporate Center Dr. Suite 200 Raleigh, NC 27607
Cape Carteret Aquatic & Wellness Center; 252-393-1000; https://www.ccaw.net/product-category/carteret-swimming-lessons/
Sunsational Swim School Instructor Search:https://www.sunsationalswimschool.com/instructors/search?page=0&per_page=10&radius=25&lat= 34.23804&lng=-77.94289
