Growing up and raising our boys in Florida, I always knew there were a lot of deaths due to drowning with people on the spectrum. I always thought it was because of all the water that can be found in the state. However, according to the National Autism Association, 91% of deaths in autistic children under 15 are drownings. I never realized just how high that number was, until the article came out.
The idea of playing in water attracts many individuals on the autism spectrum. We’re not sure why, whether they see it as a something akin to an enormous bathtub, or it’s just fun for them. Either way, it creates a potentially dangerous situation.
This is especially true as any parent of someone on the spectrum has seen firsthand that they also have a hard time detecting dangerous situations, wander off, and many are non-verbal. These all combine to put them at a much higher risk of drowning than the average child.
Preventative Measures To Help Keep Your Child Safe
First, teach them about water safety. Let them know they should never go near a pool or large body of water without an adult nearby and that they tell the adult when they are getting into the water. Even if they are good swimmers, they should never swim alone.
If you have a pool, make sure to have flotation devices nearby and show them, and anyone else in your house regularly, how to use them if they see someone in distress.
Enroll your children in swimming classes and those who supervise them in the water (if they are not an experienced swimmer already). You can often find these, as well as lifeguard classes taught at your local YMCA. I went through the lifeguard training class when I was younger and used the skills I learned several times.
If this is not an option, then teach them water survival skills.
- Step or jump into water over your head and return to the surface. This teaches them to return to the surface of the water. When drowning, it is easy to become disoriented and not be able to figure out which way is up.
- Look around in the water and identify where you are and where safety or help is located. If you are in a pool, look for an individual that can help, the edge of the pool or how far you are from the shallow end.
- Call for help.
- Float or tread water. This is an important skill to learn as it allows time for help to reach you. Note: some people on the spectrum are always tense, and therefore find it difficult to float. Our eldest son is like this. While he loves to play in a pool, he cannot float without the assistance of a flotation device and will sink to the bottom on his own.
- If help is not nearby, try to control your breathing and make a forward movement in the water toward safety until help reaches you.
Second, make sure that the pool is a safe environment for your kids. Fences around pools help keep kids from getting into the pool without supervision. Fences should be at least 4 ft high with self-closing, self-latching gates.
For extra safety, you can install pool covers and pool alarms. Have flotation devices, such as a life preserver ring, near the pool and make sure they are still in good condition.
Inspect the pool and make sure it is in good condition before using it. Make sure that there are no sharp edges and inspect the pool drain, as it can have strong suction, which can lead to drowning. Teach children to avoid drains and to tell an adult if they see a broken or loose drain cover. Make sure you have a working phone nearby in case of emergencies.
With groups of people around the pool, assign a pool watcher who doesn’t talk with the others and focuses on those in the water. It only takes seconds to drown and groups of people can distract from watching those in the water.
Take turns with a group of trusted adults so no one person fatigues from this duty. Plus, they don’t feel isolated from the other adults. We all need a break from time to time to spend with other adults.
Empty all toys out of pool and store them away from the pool area, when not in use, as they can attract children. Empty the water out of kiddie pools and turn them upside down or store in the garage when not in use. Deflate kiddie pools when not in use.
Tie up children’s long hair before they enter the pool as they can tangle and get stuck in pool drains or other areas and cause the child to drown. Do not purchase a blue or pastel colored bathing suit for your child, as they can be hard to see in the water. Bright colors are easier to spot.
Recognize the Signs of Drowning & Helping Them
Know what a person in distress looks like. Many times, it isn’t obvious – you have to know what to look for. Near-drowning victims very often disappear without a trace – it’s more common for them to sink below the water than to splash about and shout. Fight or flight kicks in and they are not thinking, just reacting. There is usually no waving.
When drowning begins, people instinctively press downward against the water to try to push their bodies toward the surface. Instincts take over when drowning, meaning people lose control of their muscles and cannot wave for help or paddle toward safety. In 10% of those cases, an adult will actually watch the child die without realizing it.
The best way to safely assist a drowning person is to “reach or throw, don’t go”.
- Call 911 – If a person needs medical attention, there may not be enough time for them to arrive after rescuing them to help if they have stopped breathing.
- Reach – Use a long stick, a scarf, clothes or anything else to reach the drowning victim. Crouch or lie down to avoid being pulled in.
- Wade – If at a lake, be sure to test the depth with a long stick before wading in and then use the stick to reach out. If at a pool, make sure you are secure. Hold on to someone else or the side of the pool, then reach for the drowning victim with an item and pull them in.
- Throw – A rope is best – you can then pull in the person. Otherwise, throw a flotation device, such as a life preserver ring. This will keep the person afloat until help comes. A flotation device attached to a rope works best since you can pull them in after they are secure.
Basically, do whatever you can to reach the person without entering the water yourself. It can be very dangerous rescuing a drowning person, as they can drown their attempted rescuers when panicking. In a panic, a drowning person is likely to claw at rescuers to try to climb to the surface at all costs. They are not thinking at this point, only reacting. Rescuers should not attempt to directly touch a panicking drowning person.
If you cannot reach the drowning person and need to help them put on a personal flotation device if available, then attempt to approach them. Bring something with you to reach out toward them to grab onto and then guide them to shallow water or the edge of the pool.
Once You Get the Person Out of the Water
Once a drowning person is safely out of the water, treat any injuries with first aid. In cold weather, remove the person’s wet clothing and cover them with a blanket. Watch for symptoms of hypothermia. If the patient is not breathing, begin CPR.
All patients of near drowning need medical attention. Water in the lungs, even small amounts, can lead to them filling up with fluid later, causing dry drowning. Dry drowning occurs when water is inhaled and causes muscle spasms in the airway, which blocks airflow. With secondary drowning water is inhaled into the lungs. The water irritates the lungs which could cause them to fill with fluid.
The symptoms of dry drowning begin almost immediately after a drowning incident, while secondary drowning symptoms may start 1-24 hours after water enters the lungs. Symptoms may include coughing, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and lethargy.
Closely watch anyone who chokes on water while swimming, especially if swimming in anything other than a pool. If you believe your child is showing symptoms of dry drowning or secondary drowning call your child’s pediatrician. They can advise you on what to do and whether to seek medical attention.
