Easterseals Central Illinois Creates Water Skills and Safety Class For Children with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder

[June 01, 2019]  PEORIA, IL- The Water Seals Group is a water safety and aquatic social skills class focused on helping children with Autism and Sensory Processing Disorder thrive. The goals of this class include helping your child improve water safety, social skills, motor planning, and sensory processing ability in a warm water setting.

The Water Seals Group was created to address a growing need in the community. Studies show that drowning is a leading cause of death for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Children with Autism are more likely to wander and are more likely to be drawn toward water.

“Water is a really exciting thing for all children, the reflecting light and motion along with the sound can be even more fascinating/enticing for children with autism” said Katie Pena, Occupational Therapist and Manager of Occupational and Physical Therapy at Easterseals Central Illinois. “Children with autism can have decreased awareness of their surroundings and danger and they may flee or leave supervised areas causing them to be at higher risk.”

The Water Seals Group at Easterseals Central Illinois aims to help children with autism, ages 5-8, learn about water safety in a fun, social setting. The class is led by a licensed occupational therapist/ occupational therapist assistant as well as a lifeguard and will utilize social stories, picture schedules and other resources to reinforce the water safety lessons. In addition to the instructors, there will be a one-to-one volunteer ratio to ensure safety and encourage participation while attending the class.

This group class is held on Thursdays from 5:00pm-6:00pm in the Easterseals warm water therapy pool. The cost is $185 per 8 week session. Families will also receive educational videos that correspond with the lessons learned each class. For more information visit eastersealsci.com or call [phone] x2225.

About Easterseals Central Illinois

Celebrating our 100th year of serving children and families in Central Illinois. Easterseals Central Illinois provides exceptional services to ensure that children with developmental delays and disabilities can reach their full potential. Learn more at eastersealsci.com.

[Megan Pedigo
Director of Marketing
Easterseals Central Illinois]