Autism Educator for First Responders - Dr. Smith

MOVE = Mindset Overcomes Virtually Everything

HIP =  #HighlyIntelligentPersonwithDiagnosis Why HIP? Because who wants to be referred to as 'special needs' when you can be HIP?! If we are going to be assigned labels, they might as well be cool & umm HIP! 😁 Let's reframe the conversation about EVERY ILLNESS! EMPOWERING TRANSFORMATION, In Spite of.. every diagnosis! #Inclusion  Saves LIVES... Are YOU a LIFESAVER?

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 10 Have an Exit Strategy and or Alternative Plan and share it with all parties involved . AUSOME that you’ve empowered through this process and got into swimming lessons. The even better news is that the actual lessons are the start of a whole new process. Doesn’t it make you feel warm inside?  Meltdown Prevention rather than meltdown reaction is the goal. Be prepared (i.e. social story, etc.) for the pool closing DURING lessons due to weather, the swim instructor being absent, pool closed for construction or emergency, you being too tire to get there, getting stuck in traffic.  If you prepare appropriately, even when the meltdown happens, you control the meltdown and don’t allow the meltdown to control and dictate the situation. 

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 9 Meet the autism swim instructor BEFORE the lesson If you are strategic enough to find someone you feel comfortable with, meet the instructor before committing to an actual lesson. This meeting can be in or out of water but it should happen BEFORE an actual paid lesson is scheduled. EVERYONE needs to be comfortable getting in the water. This allows you to see how the instructor communicates with your autism loved one and how they respond. If anyone is uncomfortable, better now than a mid pool meltdown.

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 8 Review organizations policies before you sign up. **Find out if they allow you to stay in during the lessons. During our 1 st attempt at group lessons they wanted all parents outside of the lesson. I will not be moved! 😊 But make sure to find out the organization policies before you go. Discuss them with all parties involved and assist your autistic loved one understanding appropriate & inappropriate behavior during that event.  

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 7 Figure out what works for you! You want to have this information readily available during your research. Where: Swim facility, your home or community pool. There are some specialized organizations that will come to you. If you have the ability to use this resource please do so. Know how many days you want to attend. What works best for you and your schedule

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 6 Figure out the TYPE of lessons you want. Group, Private, Semi-Private. Find out what these terms mean in each organization. Be clear, even if you have to produce visuals. This ensures you are prepared to prepare your autism loved one so they know how many people to expect the day of the lesson.   Group: Group lessons can be from 6-10 students at the same time. Duration of lessons are normally 30 minutes and last for 6 – 8 consecutive weeks. If your ausome one can take group lessons, great! Keep in mind that they WILL be in a group setting and treated like a group. No matter how much you have explained the situation to them, they still might leave your child sitting on the edge of the pool unattended! Semi-Private: Is just a smaller version of group lessons, normally with a max of 2-3 students. Private: Instructor & student one-on-one. You have additional flexibility in sched...

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 5 Communication & consistency are essential! If the organization and swim instructor can’t communication with you effectively, it unrealistic to think that they will be able to communicate effectively with our Ausome one. Consistency is important because you don’t want someone that constantly cancels or whom cancels while you are in route, or worse, is a no call no show! When we experienced our not so good moments at Warlick YMCA in Gastonia, the unkindness initially came from the swim instructor, but after communicating with the new staff, I realized that the rude behavior was cloud hanging over the entire organization. This was heartbreaking as we have been working with them for 2 years and little 6 year old autistic Maddox Ritch was lost and later found drowned less than a mile away from my job at a site I have to pass daily. The YMCA directors could care less because Sydney NEVER got...

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 4 Find out out WHO your swim instructors are. WHY? Because you know your Ausome one and who they may be comfortable with. You can’t get in the water with them during swim lessons, so you and your Ausome one has to be comfortable of whom their in the water with. Remember it’s a safety issue. You want what’s best for your Ausome one, not what’s convenient to the organization.   Male or Female.  Gender matters for our Sydney, females are whom she’s comfortable with. How do we know this, because we tried putting her in the pool with a male teenage lifeguard AFTER her female older instructor was no longer available due to school starting.   Age range, parents age, teenagers. – Person will need to establish authority immediately Experience teaching swimming – how long have they been teaching swimming Experience working in education, counseling, etc.    A lot of teachers and ...

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) HIP MOVE 3 Reach out to EVERYONE on the list, in every possible way , because finding the list does not mean you’ve found your instructor. Call, email, FB, Tweet! Whatever it takes it get a response. Put it on your “to do” list? I have found is a LOT of the people listed on paper, have no idea about the program when you call. Stay Encouraged, empower transformation in your perspective in this situation. You will Win.. That’s a   a cheer from a moment of sadness. This is was a bit saddening initially, because once I got the list, I figured we’d call someone get an appointment and be backstroking in not time. We weren’t. Of all the calls and emails sent. I only got 2 actual prospects, 1 wasn’t taking additional clients and the other is our Ms. Heather we are with now, so it was meant to be! It took us a year to find another instructor that was a good fit for Sydney & we happily started lessons in Octo...

HIP MOVE 2 Find who offers lessons specifically for Autism This will be a time saver and avoid some disappointment for going to a regular place with a pool and constantly being turned away because our autistic heroes have more needs than… Contact your local Autism Organizations and see if they have a list of locations that offer swimming lessons to those with Autism. Some of these are your Autism Society, County Parks and Rec (especially if they have Therapeutic Program). If you know other parents that have taken Autism swim lessons, they are an excellent resource. Charlotte: TEACCH  is an evidence-based academic program that is based on the idea that autistic individuals are visual learners, so teachers must correspondingly adapt their teaching style and intervention strategies. I have included an example of a list provided by Charlotte TEACCH.

10 TIPS to effectively find swim lessons for Autism (any Age) 1st HIP MOVE Where do you start? Show and Know! a.       Before all else, you have to start knowing know your loved one with Autism can do EVERYTHING neurotypicals can do. They may just need a little more support to get the tasks done. Support Them. They believe what we believe! b.        Show them that you KNOW they will be successful in everything they do & watch them shine. Their strength will become your strength. Your confidence in them will become confidence in themselves. c.       Like some of us need alarms to wake up and tell us where to be. And we keep schedules but call them calendars. We all need tools to be successful. 

All  Autistic Children  Should Learn to  Swim https://www.sunsationalswimschool.com/special-needs-swim-lessons picture: AutismParentingMagazine.com Children with autism are drawn into the water, and rates of drowning are very high. In fact 91% of all wandering deaths for autistic children are because of drowning. We want to change that with our swim lessons for autistic children.  Autistic children see, feel and understand things in a different way, which makes teaching them to swim an entirely new challenge.  Find  autism swimming instructors who: have experience with kids on the spectrum understand the best techniques to help your child learn to swim and be safe around the water.  understand every child with autism is different  have a wide range of experience know how to use child-centered methods and flexible teaching to make the special needs swimming lessons work for you.  Request if the swim instruct...

Picture from: https://www.sunsationalswimschool.com/special-needs-swim-lessons For many children with special needs, autism or otherwise, swimming can be a very therapeutic pastime. For autistic children water can be calming on sensory overloads, and in children with physical disabilities the water provides a weightless environment that is often very freeing. Special needs swim lessons unlock the benefits and enjoyment of water for those children, giving them a new lease on life.

Autism Educator spotlight on Autism Swimming: Remember to Like, Subscribe and Share for more Autism Educator spotlights! 10 Essential steps for finding Swimming Lessons for someone with Autism (Any age) Swimming lessons @ Charlotte Aquatics. If you're an Autism parent. EVERYTIME you see an article or news story about an caustic child drowning. Your heart breaks for those parents & aches for your own Ausome child.  Not to minimize this fear for all parents, but if your child has Autism the resolution isn't as clear as: Just get swimming lessons. Most people just find a place that offers swim lessons, Autism parents and caregivers aren’t so lucky! After years of experience taking swim lessons, NOW we have a good fit! If I can help EVERY parent and caregiver avoid some of the nightmares we experienced at the Warlick YMCA in Gastonia, NC, I will. It’s a beautiful facility but an ugly place for those with special needs and seeking help! There are ...

Life is short and its Time to take the  MASKS OFF & MOVE INTO ACTION Autism Educator: We educate to change your mind about Autism, so YOU can change your actions towards the Autism Community. I’m devastated and inspired by the loss of Kobe Bryant over the weekend. Kobe Bryant was the change he wanted to see in the NBA and in the world! He was not only the best at his craft, but pursued his passions apologetically. He identified & serve his purpose while his work ethic allowed him to be there greatest at everything he touched. He could have sat home after retirement but continued to share his gifts with his family and with the world. He made a difference. You are what you say you are, and Autism parents & caregivers are not alone. I’m not satisfied with a lot of things I see in the community/world related to our Special Needs Community – specifically Autism. I have worked diligently to be a change agent for my autistic daughter. I’m now compelled to MOV...