101 Weekends of Fun

An estimated one in 68 children in the United States is autistic. If your child has autism, you understand how difficult it can be to help your child participate in social activities. Enrolling your autistic child in a swim club could be extremely beneficial over time.

Here are three benefits that your child could enjoy when participating in a swim club in the future.

1. Participation in swim club could save your child's life at some point in the future.

As part of his or her swim club activities, your child will likely receive some swimming lessons. Learning to safely navigate the water can not only be fun for your child, but it can be life-saving.

According to the National Autism Association, about 90% of the deaths of autistic children under the age of 14 in the United States can be attributed to drowning. By giving your child the chance to learn water safety in a controlled environment, you can reduce the likelihood that he or she will become a drowning statistic in the future.

2. Participation in swim club can help your child become more social.

Getting an autistic child to interact with others can be challenging, but establishing social connections can be important for young children with autism spectrum disorders. Although participation in traditional sports can be overwhelming for an autistic child, swimming provides the perfect opportunity for parallel play.

This type of play occurs when a child engages in a specific activity alongside others, but is not being forced to interact with those around him or her. Swim club can be an integral part of any progressive play program for an autistic child by providing the opportunity for all the stages of play to occur in a single setting.

3. Participation in swim club can help your child maintain a healthy weight.

Maintaining a healthy weight is important for any child, but finding ways to incorporate regular exercise into an autistic child's daily routine can be challenging. Experts estimate that over half of all autistic children are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.

Enrolling your child in a swim club gives him or her access to a low-impact physical activity that can help regulate body weight well into the future.

When you are able to identify the benefits swim club can provide your autistic child, it becomes easy to see why you should enroll your child in a swim club program in the future. For more information, contact a company like Jersey Wahoos Swim Club.