#84: Swim Safety in Autistic Children with Erika Kemp

If you have not been paying attention to recent statistics on drowning, you need to be.

After decades of decline, deaths by drowning are on the rise.

Groups already at higher risk have seen the greatest increases in drowning deaths. This includes adults ages 65 years and older of all races and ethnicities, as well as Black people of all ages.

But today, we’ll focus on an especially high-risk group: children (and particularly, children with autism). Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, and children with autism spectrum disorder are 160 times more likely to experience nonfatal and fatal drowning than their typically developing peers.

Whatever setting you work in, I hope these sobering numbers convince you to pay close attention to water safety. Here, we’ll look at an aquatic OT swim safety program that you could consider implementing in your community.

Next week on the OT Potential Podcast, we will welcome the article’s lead author, Erika Kemp, for a discussion on the logistics of launching a swim safety program. We’ll also tackle big picture questions—like how to go about mobilizing the entire OT community to prevent drownings in our communities.
Learn more about our guest:
https://otpotential.com/occupational-therapy-directory/erika-kemp
You can find more details on this course here:
https://otpotential.com/ceu-podcast-courses/swim-safety-in-autistic-children
Here's the primary research we are discussing:
Addressing swim safety in autistic children: A pilot feasibility study using aquatic occupational therapy.

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