Alex has always loved the water and been a little fish. Favorite summertime activities have included the pool at his summer camp, and swimming with friends.
Well, this year we have had a lot of rain and less chances to swim, but when we have.. Alex has baffled me.
Early in the summer when we were at a friend's house he refused to go in their pool claiming he was afraid (and it was a very small and not deep pool - my 4 year old could stand up in it!). He did this at camp, also. On day 1, he wouldn't go in the pool and refused - the rest of the week he went in
Now, since then we have gotten him into our neighbor's and friend's pool but it has not been without a lot of effort. He is very slow to get in, then insists on using multiple inflatable devices (that he doesn't really need) and his latest (yuck) is that he is swallowing the pool water. He also is overly obsessed with if there are any bugs in the water - he isn't afraid of bugs (this kid likes to play with ants and talk to them). Still, once he is in there - he loves the pool!
His sister, she is the first one in and last one out. She is our tiny tadpole this summer and is getting close to swimming without needing her lifejacket.
Observing them in the pool and how they deal, adapt, act, and react in the water -- it becomes so very apparent the differences between my two children - 1 with autism and 1 without.
We are hoping for more summery days without rain to be able to work on improving both of their swimming skills. They are both very close to swimming independently - maybe this will be the summer!
2 comments:
I wish we had rain here. When the boys were younger we had a small pool in front for them, pre-camp days. They had water play at camp and went to beach and a community pool.
Being a single parent with drive time about an hour to get to beach and having two on the spectrum means they have missed out on the beach, but having asthma and a runner and the sand with my eczema never seemed like a good time for me.
I read a lot about kids on the spectrum enjoying the water, maybe someday I can get them both lessons and go to the year round indoor pool that is in our area.
Nick was so scared of the boardwalk and pier in Santa Monica, not sure how Matt would react.
I'd be interested in what the differences are between your kids regarding the water. You said there are many. I have a 7 year old and almost 4 year old. My 7 year old is "gifted" and has many traits that autistic children share...which is why I came accross your blog...my 7-year-old had taken off with swimming but is always needing a towel for her eyes and fussing with goggles and such. 3-year-old thinks she can breathe under water and can't touch the floor..or swim...problem, I have to pull her up when I think she needs air...weird..though the differences...wondering what yours are. We just started a gluten and dairy free diet for 7-7ear-old. Not been easy, but its been about 2 weeks and she's doing great! Thanks for your blog...
Post a Comment