Swim lessons target autism at Carson City Aquatic Facility

Sam Chenin can't wait for his swim class to begin.

But this wasn't always the case, said his mother Sherri Chenin.

"We tried public lessons here when he was younger, before he was diagnosed, and he would be in the tot pool with two instructors and six kids," she said. "He would just let go and go under the water. He had no fear."

Sam suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, Chenin said, which places him relatively high on the autism spectrum scale.

But his functioning can be deceptive, she said, especially when trying new activities in the community.

"There are times when you just think he's just another kid," she said. "And other times when it hits you."

Like many autistic individuals, Sam is fascinated with water and took to the pool quickly. But he and others on the autism spectrum struggle to understand danger and safety around water, said Darlene Marshall, head lifeguard at the Carson City Aquatic Facility.

"They love water, which can be scary if they are not taught good water safety ideas," she said. "They don't have any fear of the water, and they will just sink to the bottom of the pool and not think anything is wrong."

Marshall oversees a swim program at the Carson City Aquatic Facility designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum.

Launched in 2011, the class is not much different from regular swim curriculum. It teaches students how to float, paddle, propel and make swim strokes.

But autistic children, Marshall said, require an emphasis on water safety.

"Part of the reason this class exists is to bridge a gap that children on the spectrum have between wanting to be in the water, and being able to be in the water safely," she said. "Water is an 'attractive nuisance' to all kids, and kids on the spectrum tend to find it fascinating."

And it's not just pools that autistic children are drawn to, either, she said.

"This is all bodies of water, lakes, rivers, streams, backyard pools, and bathtubs," Marshall said. "If we can help these kids and their families realize the dangers and risks associated with water, then give them some skills to be more safe around water, hopefully we can prevent drowning deaths."

Chenin said her son, Sam, needed to learn water safety if he was going to develop a respect for it. This would become a crucial part of his class instruction, she said.

"A good swimmer has at least a healthy respect for the water," she said. "But he didn't have that respect or that fear."

Chenin said she signed Sam up shortly after the autism swim program was introduced at the Carson City Aquatic Facility.

"We've been coming to this for as long as they've had the class," she said. "There's been a progression getting him to that point, but he looks forward to it, and he likes his classes and his time here."

Now, after five years of consistent coaching and instruction, Chenin said she is able to breathe a sigh of relief when her son is in the water on his own without her.

"I feel safer with him in the water now," she said. "I feel more comfortable now being further away from him and let him do his thing."

Chenin said Sam has also learned the fundamentals of staying afloat, especially in deeper parts of a pool.

"If he found himself in water over his head, he could manage," she said. "He can actually propel himself forward now."

Though evident now, Chenin said Sam's progress has been more gradual over the years, because his diagnosis features more complexities than just a general lack of safety awareness.

There is also social awkwardness, which most individuals on the spectrum experience, and a tendency to get stuck in a predictable comfort zone that they don't want to be removed from.

"We've had to push him," Chenin said. "At first, just playing with him was fine, but as the years have gone on, it was time to push."

Marshall said autistic individuals find comfort in what feels familiar to them, including people. It's a major reason why consistency and regularity are so important when teaching autistic individuals.

"They are typically more than comfortable around other classmates and teachers," Marshall said. "Sometimes forming lasting bonds through the program because this program is a place where they can be comfortable, be engaged and have fun."

Swim instructor Rebeckah Merriner has worked consistently with Sam for 18 months, and Chenin said she is now one of his favorite people.

"At first he wouldn't even let me high-five him," Merriner said. "But now I've gotten him to high-five me, and now we mess around and he's actually not as shy."

But too many strange people all at once can cause disruption to an autistic person, Marshall said, just as too much activity or noise can.

Even occasional changes to a lesson, including time interruptions, she said, can result in a learning regression that increases the amount of time an individual needs to catch back up.

That's why the aquatic center's autism swim program strives to keep those enrolled in each class limited to just a few at a time. Marshall said the ideal ratio is no more than 3:1 student to instructor.

"We try to keep the teacher student ratio smaller (3:1) for our inclusive (autism spectrum) classes, and anywhere from 5:1 to 8:1 for our (regular) swim lessons program," she said.

Instructors also undergo specialized training on how to teach students on the autism spectrum, Marshall said, keeping in mind the specific needs and functional deficits of the population.

"We have a training staff go through to teach the inclusive class, which highlights some basic features of autism so we can better cater to any child's needs," she said. "Training for staff to be aware of small gestures, or things like eye contact can be stressful for children on the spectrum."

Marshall said the aquatic center tries to hold its autism classes separate from other swim classes and generally when there is much less activity in or around the pool.

This can be a challenge at times, she said, but it's necessary to accommodate for the stimuli that can cause an autistic individual to decompensate.

However, it's more important to Marshall that every child, regardless of condition, learns the value of swimming. This principle is one of the very reasons why the inclusive autism spectrum swim program was introduced in the first place.

"Teaching all kids how to swim is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences there is," she said. "Seeing the enthusiasm on a child who feels comfort and excitement in the water is one of the best things there is. When the child has trouble communicating with others, but still learns how to swim, the reward is exponentially greater."

Although the inclusive class is designed for individuals on the autism spectrum, Marshall said the Carson City Aquatic Facility strives to be open to all learners no matter their handicap.

"Water is also one of the only ways that kids with certain conditions can exercise outside of the autism realm," she said. "Stepping into things like paralysis and cerebral palsy, swimming and water exercise is a fantastic option to increase fitness in kids who may not be able to 'go out and play.' ”

Every child should, at the very least, learn how to be safe around water, Marshall said. This includes learning how to stay afloat, propel and swim.

Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 14 years old, she said, so instructing children of all ability levels critical.

"Any way we can lessen that statistic is something we need to be doing more of, and this is just one of the programs that we offer to try and do just that," Marshall said. "Take a high risk population and educate them and give them the necessary skills to succeed in and around water."

Swim lessons at Carson City Aquatic Facility cost $4 per class. Days and times tend to vary, she said, but the inclusive program is currently held on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.

Anyone interested in enrolling their child, regardless of ability, in a swim program at the Carson City Aquatic Center should call (775) 887-2242 for more information, including specific times and dates of classes.

Information about the pool, its swim times and programs can also be found on the facility's web page here.