Wandering and Water Safety

By Kami-Leigh Agard

This past Monday, I was driving down Shore Front Parkway, and my eyes were drawn to a drone hovering above the boardwalk. Operating the drone was the FDNY Beach Task Force, a unit of New York’s Bravest that supports lifeguards at a time when they’re high in demand and short supply. Seeing that drone and the FDNY team gave me such a feeling of gratitude as I immediately thought of my daughter. Folks, residing steps away from the ocean is indeed a blessing, yet fraught with so many “what ifs,” as my daughter is a runner, not unlike the Looney Tunes’ Road Runner. Plus, she loves water, and has no fear.

According to the National Autism Association, drowning is a leading cause of injury-related deaths among the general pediatric population, especially those younger than age four and teens. However, compared to the general pediatric population, children with autism are 160 times as likely to die from drowning. And when you add the elopement factor, drowning accounts for more than 70% of wandering-related fatalities. Alarmingly, a study published in “Pediatrics,” reported that nearly half of all children with autism wander and almost one-third of those wander towards water sources. Nearly half of these wandering incidents occur under non-parent supervision, with nearly one-third happening at a school setting. And like my daughter, more than one-third of children with autism who wander/elope are never or rarely able to communicate their name, address or phone number.

While reading the above statistics, anxiety and paranoia crept in as my daughter loves to skateboard to the beach with her dad. She’s become so swift that he has to ride his bike to keep up with her. And with a few incidents with her unlocking the front door, even jumping out the window to get outside, our homes are now literally Fort Knox. We have safety locks on all the windows. Each door has a key code door lock, and as added precaution an additional key bolt.

However, I admit locking my daughter in the house is not the solution as she is very strong willed. First and foremost, she needs to learn how to swim, however, unfortunately there aren’t any local special needs aquatics programs. The closest I found was SAF-T-SWIM, located in New Hyde Park.

Kaitlin Krause, founder of nonprofit, Rising Tide Effect (RTE), and co-founder of the Water Safety Coalition, serves as the commissioner of NYS Temporary Commission to Prevent Childhood Drowning. Following the passing of legislation introduced by Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato in December 2021, the commission is charged with evaluating and creating programs to educate children and caregivers about water safety protocols.

Krause shared that the commission is working on getting funding for adapted aquatics training for swim teachers. She said, “We are looking at the disproportionate effects of drowning and water risks around special needs populations. We can’t provide special needs swimming lessons unless we have the people to teach them, and they need to be equipped. However, it’s definitely on the front burner.”

If there’s anyone who can make it happen, it’s Krause. With RTE, she’s made it her mission to eliminate death by drowning, particularly in underserved socioeconomic regions and groups that are most vulnerable. For example, this summer, RTE has partnered with mixed-income real estate developer, Tredway, to provide free swimming lessons, water safety education, and other aquatic-related services to residents of Ocean Park Apartments in Far Rockaway. Also, RTE is again partnering with The Rockaway Hotel to provide free swimming lessons for underserved urban youth. At DredSurfer Beach 17th Concession, RTE is hosting monthly community water safety round tables. For more info about Rising Tide Effect’s swim safety programs, visit: www.risingtideeffect.org or risingtideeffect on Instagram.

As Community 14 Board Chair Dolores Orr said, “Every child should know how to swim, and this needs to be made a top priority for all communities.”

As founder of local autism advocacy nonprofit, Rockaway Beach Autism Families (RBAF), I believe multifaceted intervention programs are urgently needed to mitigate the risk of drowning in autistic children. Teaching them how to swim and develop water safety skills from a young age is critical. For a social story about water safety, visit: https://autismsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Water-Social-Story.pdf

Please share your sentiments by emailing: support@rockawaybeachautismfamilies.org

For info about RBAF’s upcoming summer events, visit: Rockaway Beach Autism Families on Facebook/Instagram.