Shockingly enough, the CDC reports that from 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional drownings (non-boat related) annually in the United States – about ten deaths per day. Children with ASD are more likely to wander off and are drawn to water, and because of this they are 160 times more likely than the general population to die from drowning, according to research from the National Vital Statistics System.

As you can see, teaching our children to swim is vitally important, and I feel very passionate that ALL children (when possible) have the opportunity to learn to swim. One article I recently read stated swimming lessons are more important than speech lessons and I could not agree more. It is our job as parents to protect our children and keep them safe.

Texas Swim Academy in Katy, Texas, has been a great resource for my family. My son has been in swimming on and off since he was two years old thanks to their program. He now knows how to swim, and I now have a greater sense of security and peace of mind. I am forever grateful.

If you can put forth the time to get your child to swim lessons each week but simply can’t afford it, please reach out to ahug Foundation and let me see what we can do to help you.  Swim lessons could save your child’s life.