Swimming has a profound impact on the physical, mental, and psychological make-up of a person.

Swim lessons for water safety.

The number one method of reducing drowning risk is access to quality swim lessons. While no method is foolproof, swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by a staggering 88%.

Therapeutic recreation benefits.

Swimming strengthens gross and fine motor skills for easier learning. Due to the specific bilateral motions used in swimming, the entire brain – all lobes and both hemispheres – are working in concert with each other. These movements help to develop the connecting tissue between the hemispheres and increase communication between the two halves of the brain — the results: better cognitive function and better learning ability. Additionally, a 2012 study discovered that children taught to swim at a young age hit developmental milestones consistently quicker than average. They displayed better coordination and increased fine motor skills like cutting paper, coloring in the lines, and other mathematically-related tasks. The applications are far-reaching, especially for children with special needs.

Health benefits of swimming.

The health benefits of swimming are well documented, but there are specific benefits for individuals with special needs. Water buoyancy allows previously restricted individuals to move freely and helps build muscle in low muscle tone individuals. Additionally, self-regulation, speech, oral motor control, strength, and coordination are just a few areas that can improve with therapy in the water. According to Disabled Sports USA, swimming not only offers flexibility within the joints and muscles but strengthens the cardiovascular system as well as the major muscle groups in the upper and lower body. Moreover, because the heart works harder when the body is submerged, patients benefit from decreased swelling, reduced blood pressure and improved joint position. This, in turn, improves the swimmers’ proprioception, or body awareness.

Social/psychological benefits of swimming.

Research shows that participation in swimming for individuals with disabilities afforded the participants heightened senses of self-concept, independence, ability and pride and an enhanced perceived quality of life. Athletes found that they were able to redefine their physical capabilities, strengthen social connections and improve acceptance among their peers.

Drowning prevention for members of our most vulnerable populations is a matter of life and death. Aside from an increased risk of drowning, children with permanent disabilities who lack consistent therapeutic interventions face increased isolation, increased care requirements, decreased mental health, increased fear and anxiety, and shortened life expectancy.

Your donations are critical to providing the lifesaving skill of swimming to children most at risk.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Giving Tuesday: Why swimming matters. appeared first on One with the Water.

There is no way to soften these statistics. So I’ll just leave them right here. Drowning is the number one cause of accidental death in California for children between the ages of 1-4. 1 in 5 overall drowning victims are under the age of 14.  Drilling down further, children with autism are at an exponentially increased risk, and a disproportionate number of drowning victims are people of color.

The most devastating thing about this is that drowning IS preventable. Unfortunately, there are real barriers to drowning prevention and the most high-risk children meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Proximity to water sources. Los Angeles County alone has over 43,000 private pools plus their natural water sources include 75 miles of coastline, 4 major rivers, and 74 lakes/reservoirs.
• Lack of access to swimming lessons with qualified coaches. For example, the low-income neighborhoods of Watts and Florence had zero private pools, and only four public pools, one of which just reopened in 2016 after being closed for a decade.
• Lack of financial resources. According to decades of research, children with disabilities are statistically more likely to present in a low-income environment. (The average cost of private swim lessons in Los Angeles is over $200/month).
• Finally, as mentioned above, autistic children, in particular, have an increased affinity for water, increasing their risk of drowning by up to 160% when compared with the general pediatric population.

The number one method of reducing drowning risk is access to quality swim lessons. While no method is foolproof, swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by a staggering 88%. And as mentioned above, swim lessons should be the top intervention priority for children with autism to help increase their safety levels in and around water.

That’s where you come in. Your donations can eliminate the two most significant risks for potential victims. Giving Tuesday is just 40 days away, and our goal is to change the lives of 20 children in our community by teaching them to swim. We need you to be a hero for our community. We’ll be lighting up our social media in the coming days, so look for ways to donate and share with your networks.

Molly Huggins

Molly is a member of our creative team, mom of four water-loving babies, and a fierce advocate for CPR training and really early swim instruction.

The post Drowning is Preventable appeared first on One with the Water.