JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s summertime, and the water can pose a threat to kids, especially to kids with Autism.
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It’s National Drowning Prevention Week, and one family wants to raise awareness about the higher risk water has on kids with special needs.
Drowning is the number one cause of death in children ages 1-4, according to the Centers for Disease and Control. But kids with Autism face a greater risk due to a behavior known as “elopement,” a tendency to wander off. The National Autism Association said they are 160 times more likely to drown than other children.
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Maria Knight has 4 kids, and one of them has Autism. Leo is her nonverbal 5-year-old boy.
Knight said Leo is drawn to the water, from the kitchen sink and bathtubs to pools and oceans. Knight said she has found him nearly drowning at times.
“The thing that really shocked me was that he had these little floaties as a baby with a neck support, and he was the only one out of 4 kids who would drown in them,” Knight said. “And I was like, ‘Look at that! We need to get a full refund. This thing doesn’t work.’ It was not that the thing didn’t work; it was Leo.”
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So, she put him in swim classes at the Brown Family YMCA to help prevent drowning, and now, after 2 and half years, she has some peace of mind.
“There is so much to worry about ... so many dangers and kids on the spectrum ... they lack dangerous cells,” Knight said. “And this is just one of the dangers that I can cross off the list, and say, ‘[Well] at least this one is covered,’” Knight said.
A Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said so far this year, the agency has responded to 30 drowning calls. Of those calls, 17 people were taken to the hospital. JFRD said there were also 3 other calls for bodies recovered from a waterway.
However, JFRD and the Autism Association said they don’t really have a tracking system for people with Autism.
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