July 12, 2026

Garland Jones, recreational therapist and senior program director of the YMCA of South Florida's special needs program, teaches Mackenzie Wesley, 5, to breathe safely in water by using a ping pong ball as a visual aid.LA Johnson/NPR

Many kids with autism share a natural love for water because it can be sensory bliss — the feeling on their skin, the pressure and the sparkle of the water can all be soothing.

But there's a tragic reality tied to that fact: Kids with autism are 160 times more likely than other children to die from drowning, according to a seminal 2017 study from Columbia University. That’s because about half of these children have a tendency to wander from safe settings.

Quality swim lessons can help. So Florida is subsidizing swim lessons for its youngest and prioritizing kids with autism.
NPR Ed’s Jonaki Mehta, Janet Woojeong Lee and LA Johnson traveled to Florida to bring you a firsthand look at what effective, specialized lessons for kids with autism look like. At the YMCA of South Florida’s program for swimmers with learning differences, instructors are trained to work one-on-one with every child, never more than an arm’s length away and to coax kids back into the pool if they run away. Every lesson is tailored to each child’s unique needs. This video tells it all.

In Florida, the combination of water everywhere — thousands of miles of coastline, backyard swimming pools, lakes and ponds — means kids with autism are especially vulnerable to drowning. The state is evolving a subsidy for swim lessons for low-income families, putting kids with autism ages 1-7 at the front of the line. It won’t solve a supply and demand issue — these distinctive lessons require special training for instructors to be effective — but it’s still an exciting development for many parents.

“Whenever he sees water, he gets super excited,” Desiree Faulkner, the mom of Liam, 5, who has autism, told Janet. But she added, “I’m nervous, because he doesn’t understand dangers, he doesn’t understand boundaries, he doesn’t understand anything about water safety.”

Swimming lessons with qualified teachers bring her peace of mind.

“Having a program like this was critical for his safety and just making sure that he kind of understands how to swim and keep being alive, that’s the most important thing.”

Read and listen to the story

Are you a special education teacher who is just embarking on your career? Or do you know someone who is? The NPR Ed team wants to hear from you for a series we’re working on about special educators. Reach reporter Jonaki Mehta at jmehta@npr.org or on Signal at jonakimehta.602.

Speaking of special education, Jonaki learned what was said in a closed-door meeting the Education Department hosted with advocates on Thursday afternoon. The department was trying to reassure them that plans to shift most staff to the Health and Human Services Department would not change the federal oversight role in ensuring students with disabilities are educated appropriately. Advocates did not buy it.

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