Do you know how much it costs to teach an autistic child how to swim? I don’t either but I’ll keep you in the loop.
The Cedar Rapids Recreation Department offers a nice array of activities and opportunities for our children here in Eastern Iowa; that is, our neuro-typical children. Now, I understand that not everyone everywhere should be expected to accommodate children with special needs. I do however think that a town the size of Cedar Rapids should be able and willing to accommodate them.
I signed up my seven year old autistic son for swimming. He passed his level ones before and so I had him enrolled in level two. He was unable to listen to the teacher, unable to wait at the wall with the other children, unable to cooperate, and unable to stay in water that he could touch the bottom so would need to be pulled back. For his safety and for the safety of the other children since the teacher had to keep a constant eye on him, he needed to be removed from the class. I have no arguments in this since he clearly wasn’t cooperating and being safe. My problem is that when I left messages requesting options for him, I never heard back.
I had my doubts about having him in a class like that but also strongly felt that he needed to learn how to swim. Being his mother, I’ve learned that I shouldn’t automatically count him out so I gave it a shot. But unfortunately he couldn’t do it.
No we have signed him up for a child membership to the YMCA for $17.50 and are shelling out another $20 for a half hour lesson twice a week until he can at least tread water and do some basic floats. I want to know that if he gets a wild hair, which he is prone to doing, and jumps in over his head that he can keep his head above water.
So we’ll see where we are after all is said and done. So far we are at:
1 youth Y membership $17.50/mo
1 youth private lesson $20
The smile on my son’s face when I tell him I found a teacher to help him… priceless!
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