Link between autism and drowning revealed: the report



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Drowning is the leading cause of death in children with autism, but there remains a huge lack of resources and advice offered by clinical experts to parents, a report revealed.

Autistic children are also chased from clbadic swimming lessons, which can not meet their specific needs, which aggravates the risks, according to the Autism Swim report.

Sunday, Autism and drowning: the problem of unreported cases has revealed a lack of research on the "disproportionate risk of drowning" for people with autism spectrum disorders.

In an effort to reduce risk, Autism Swim, the world's only certification body for aquatic activities and autism, has called on governments and health care providers to raise public awareness. and to allocate funds to improve the outcomes of these children.

The organization, which trains swimming instructors in autism education, will release on Monday a new drowning and drowning prevention toolkit for parents.

According to the US-based National Autism Association, between 2009 and 2011, approximately 90% of drowning deaths from wandering were reported in children 14 years of age and younger with ASD.

According to US statistics, children with ASD are 160 times more likely to die of drowning than other children.

Erika Gleeson, founder of Autism Swim, says Australian data is sorely needed, but "so many people are asking for help".

In Australia, it is estimated that 1 in 70 people have autism, which represents the largest number of approved plans for the National Disability Insurance Plan.

Autistic children often move away from safety to escape discomfort, such as sensory overload, or to visit a place of intense interest.

"They can be small artists on the run, and that often has nothing to do with the quality of the parents," says Gleeson, a leading expert on the behavior of autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability.

Parents of autistic children report that wandering is the most stressful behavior, particularly because it involves risks such as injuries, road accidents, falls, dehydration, encounters with strangers and hypothermia.

Drowning is one of the most lethal risks and increases with the severity of autism, according to the report.

"There is no research, but we can hypothesize that most people find the water therapeutic enough and that the design is exacerbated for those with sensory problems," Ms. Gleeson to AAP.

Even if a neurotypical child can badess risk factors, such as the opacity of the water in a river, the currents and the lack of supervision of an adult, an autistic person may simply see the Water, badociate it with relaxation and jump without taking into account the risks.

In addition, autistic children are often left behind their peers while swimming and they need more intense education in water safety, Ms. Gleeson said.

Some children need to learn something as basic as taking air, she said.

"Going under water is so attractive to them that the motivation to breathe is diminished (…) all their sensory systems are relieved when they go under water," she said.

Australian Associated Press

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