Re: Fw: Mother Of Drowned Toddler Reaches Out

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I just wanted to thank you for posting that story!! I helped put together an autism safety awareness fair at my childs school a couple years ago. I wish I had the man poweer back then to make it a huge event. I was so amazed at the help I got from the community. I wish there was a way we could get people from Autism Speaks or ASA to realize this is just as important as fundraising. After all..all the therapy in the world won't help if something happens and our children are not with us! (During the summer there are places that give free lessons to those that need it.)

We have had a lot of other safety issue come up too.(That is why I wanted to have the safety fair.) I also made sure that road signs were put up on my street that read "Slow... children playing." We have had a few close calls on my own street. I have also had times where my child got away from me and ran down the road. People just stop and laugh as they see me chasing her! (I have my own disability and it is not the easiest thing for me to do..) I confronted the neighbior (sorry my spelling isn't the greatest) that saw her running, then I joked and said"Well, at least I got in my morning run!" Little did they know I suffer from Fibromyaliga and that sprint cost me days of pain.

I asked later why she didn't help me. She said .."well I I didn't know how she would react, I thought she might continue to run further."(She knew my daughter has autism) I didn't respond, but wanted to say to her..well I guess she would react even worse if a car hit her while backing out of their driveway! Anyway, two months later I had the signs put up in the subdivision.

I also hignly rec. that anyone without back up sensors on theircar that you try to get them.(Contact Kids and Cars) I have not done that, but it is my next step.

My Father in law asked me why does everyone need those "gadgets" in theor cars theses days? Just remember to look over your shoulder like we did in the old days!...AFTER we ran over my son's scooter a few days later I said to him.."Well I guess they must have made really tall scooters and really short cars when you were you had kids!

Thanks again for the post,

&nbs

p; Mylittleskydreams

Mother Of Drowned Toddler Reaches OutTo: dlormanasgo (DOT) orgDate: Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 7:25 AM

Hi All –

This story really touches me as a couple of years ago one of our member families lost a child with autism by drowning. It is very important that all of our children with autism learn to swim at an early age. There are so many water sources that surround us here in Florida that we have to assume that our children will gain access to it.

Donna

Mother of Drowned Toddler Reaches Outtinyurl.com/ 65oldy Many children with autism have a fascination with water. In muggy, pool-and-lake- riddled South Florida , that attraction can be deadly. Deanna Muniz says her son could charm just about anyone. "He put a smile on everyone's face," she says. But in April, autistic got out of the house and drowned. Deanna did some research. "I found out the leading cause of death for children with autism was drowning," Muniz says. She wanted to make sure her tragedy never happened to another family. That's

why she founded Connections http://tinyurl. com/56abcq . It's a website designed to connect [ Florida ] families of autistic children to aquatic facilities with the expertise and credentials to teach kids with special needs how to swim. That's exactly what 4-and-a-half year old Nekeem Rose is learning to do here at AquaChamps in Wilton Manors. He has autism and his mother can't believe he's swimming after just six lessons. "It makes me believe that if he can swim, he can do anything in life," Rose says, "And he has the future of being a productive, and successful independent individual." It's obvious AquaChamps instructor Dan Vawter has that special something. "Dan is awesome. He is an angel sent from God," Rose says. But Dan says he is the one that is blessed. "You get to be humbled every day, you

know, because it's not really about me. I profit from them in the water. I know it sounds cliché and stuff, but it's so true," he says. Deanna still mourns, but the love for her son lives on in every stroke and kick. "I tell them it is possible to teach your child to swim," she tells parents of children living with autism, "And that gives them peace of mind. And when they have peace of mind, that's all that matters." And that's the mission of Connections: to keep hopes afloat for all kids with autism. These programs are also very therapeutic. As the kids learn to swim, they often become more social, and more verbal. Which is very important because many children with autism are non-verbal, meaning they can't cry out if they fall in the water.

[Guest guest]

I have an opinion about this, which may get bounced back to me with other lively opinions...

However, while this is a great cause, it reminds me of when my son used to bolt out the front door and the overwhelming fear I had about all the bad things that could happen to him.

What I have learned since is that teaching very basic functional skills to our children is more than necessary, it is imperative. Some strategies I have learned are:

Teaching them to say "What?" when their name is called. Using a Verbal Behavior strategy, one can say the following:

Parent: "Austin" "say, 'What Mommy?'"

Austin: "What Mommy?"

Parent: "Great job answering me when I call your name." or "Thank you so much for answering me when I call your name." Then more over-the-top praise, etc.

We used to have each of us sit across from each other in a room, while calling him to us and giving him bits of candy.

Do this often and intersperse trials with times at the park, water parks, everywhere. Make it a fun game.

Next, is to obtain a picture of a Stop Sign and tape it to the front door or whatever doors are in the home, at the child's eye level. Do practice trials of showing the sign at the door, pairing it with an ASL sign for Stop. This is a simple strategy used in many classrooms. Again, carry around a picture of a Stop Sign and practice Stop/Go.

Practice requesting to go out the door as well would be the next step. Also praise walking with parent/caregiver, etc. Try not to praise, "not running" but the behavior that we want to see, "Nice walking next to Mommy." or "I love how you are walking next to me."

Practice walking to the end of the driveway and looking both ways for cars. Remember: Stop, Look, Listen so we can be safe (like Dora the Explorer).

The swimming program is amazing and yes, the swimming is great on so many levels for our kids and I am so saddened it took such a tragedy to get it going. These are some complementary ideas to help our kids with these safety issues and ones that can be implemented more immediately.

Mother Of Drowned Toddler Reaches OutTo: dlormanasgo (DOT) orgDate: Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 7:25 AM

Hi All –

This story really touches me as a couple of years ago one of our member families lost a child with autism by drowning. It is very important that all of our children with autism learn to swim at an early age. There are so many water sources that surround us here in Florida that we have to assume that our children will gain access to it.

Donna

Mother of Drowned Toddler Reaches Outtinyurl.com/ 65oldy Many children with autism have a fascination with water. In muggy, pool-and-lake- riddled South Florida , that attraction can be deadly. Deanna Muniz says her son could charm just about anyone. "He put a smile on everyone's face," she says. But in April, autistic got out of the house and drowned. Deanna did some research. "I found out the leading cause of death for children with autism was drowning," Muniz says. She wanted to make sure her tragedy never happened to another family. That's why she founded Connections http://tinyurl. com/56abcq . It's a website designed to connect [ Florida ] families of autistic children to aquatic facilities with the expertise and credentials to teach kids with special needs how to swim. That's exactly what 4-and-a-half year old Nekeem Rose is learning to do here at AquaChamps in Wilton Manors. He has autism and his mother can't believe he's swimming after just six lessons. "It makes me believe that if he can swim, he can do anything in life," Rose says, "And he has the future of being a productive, and successful independent individual." It's obvious AquaChamps instructor Dan Vawter has that special something. "Dan is awesome He is an angel sent from God," Rose says. But Dan says he is the one that is blessed. "You get to be humbled every day, you know, because it's not really about me. I profit from them in the water. I know it sounds cliché and stuff, but it's so true," he says. Deanna still mourns, but the love for her son lives on in every stroke and kick. "I tell them it is possible to teach your child to swim," she tells parents of children living with autism, "And that gives them peace of mind. And when they have peace of mind, that's all that matters." And that's the mission of Connections: to keep hopes afloat for all kids with autism. These programs are also very therapeutic. As the kids learn to swim, they often become more social, and more verbal. Which is very important because many children with autism are non-verbal, meaning they can't cry out if they fall in the water.

[Guest guest]

Hi Tina,

Thank you for taking the time to share this important idea with us. I think it is great and I will start practicing with my son tomorrow. Fortunately, he can speak. I wonder what ideas some other people have for the children that do not speak yet to "respond" when their name is being called.Ida

From: Donna Lorman <Dlormanasgo (DOT) org>Subject: Mother Of Drowned Toddler Reaches OutTo: dlormanasgo (DOT) orgDate: Wednesday, August 13, 2008, 7:25 AM

Hi All –

This story really touches me as a couple of years ago one of our member families lost a child with autism by drowning. It is very important that all of our children with autism learn to swim at an early age. There are so many water sources that surround us here in Florida that we have to assume that our children will gain access to it.

Donna

Mother of Drowned Toddler Reaches Outtinyurl.com/ 65oldy Many children with autism have a fascination with water. In muggy, pool-and-lake- riddled South Florida , that attraction can be deadly. Deanna Muniz says her son could charm just about anyone. "He put a smile on everyone's face," she says. But in April, autistic got out of the house and drowned. Deanna did some research. "I found out the leading cause of death for children with autism was drowning," Muniz says. She wanted to make sure her tragedy never happened to another family. That's

why she founded Connections http://tinyurl. com/56abcq . It's a website designed to connect [ Florida ] families of autistic children to aquatic facilities with the expertise and credentials to teach kids with special needs how to swim. That's exactly what 4-and-a-half year old Nekeem Rose is learning to do here at AquaChamps in Wilton Manors. He has autism and his mother can't believe he's swimming after just six lessons. "It makes me believe that if he can swim, he can do anything in life," Rose says, "And he has the future of being a productive, and successful independent individual." It's obvious AquaChamps instructor Dan Vawter has that special something. "Dan is awesome He is an angel sent from God," Rose says. But Dan says he is the one that is blessed. "You get to be humbled every day, you

know, because it's not really about me. I profit from them in the water. I know it sounds cliché and stuff, but it's so true," he says. Deanna still mourns, but the love for her son lives on in every stroke and kick. "I tell them it is possible to teach your child to swim," she tells parents of children living with autism, "And that gives them peace of mind. And when they have peace of mind, that's all that matters." And that's the mission of Connections: to keep hopes afloat for all kids with autism. These programs are also very therapeutic. As the kids learn to swim, they often become more social, and more verbal. Which is very important because many children with autism are non-verbal, meaning they can't cry out if they fall in the water.