Research

We are currently asking children to participate in drowning prevention research. Drowning is the number 1 cause of death in children with Autism (Gleeson, 2016) and children with ASD are 160 times more likely to drown than a typically developing child. This year (2024) we implemented Aquaticity, a type of drowning prevention swim instruction that will teach our campers techniques to help save their lives. Elopement is one of the biggest reasons that children with ASD drown, these tools can help a child with ASD once they are in the pool, keep their heads above water. These skills include starfish floating, bobbing, gliding and treading water. We also focused on a “pre-swim ritual” and the “wall crawl”, both are tried and true practices among the ASD community as lifesaving swimming techniques. 

If you are a parent of a child with autism and would like to let your child participate in the research project, or have any questions/concerns, please contact:

 Dr. Jennifer Ahrens, ja27@txstate.edu