KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Drowning is the leading cause of death for children with autism — and many parents may not realize it.
For Antoinette Redmond, a Kansas City mom raising two children with autism, getting their pool routine down took preparation, planning and the right support system.
"My kiddos love to be in the water, they love to swim, but as a mom, it makes me incredibly anxious to bring them," Redmond said.
Redmond connected me with Aaron Kirby, board president at the Autism Society of the Heartland. The organization partners with the YMCA and KU to offer swim lessons specifically designed for children with autism.
"Autistic kids are just drawn to water," Kirby said.
That draw to water makes safety education critical. Kirby said the lessons focus on building foundational skills children can rely on in an emergency.
"Our main goal with this is really to try to reduce a lot of these horrible stories that we see in the news of autistic individuals passing in water," Kirby said.
Both the YMCA and KU programs are designed to meet children where they are, helping them build water safety skills while addressing sensory challenges.
"If a child does find themselves in a predicament, they can go back to the skills that they've learned," Kirby said.
Last year served as a stark reminder of how quickly emergencies can happen. Johnson County saw 11 drowning-related emergencies — more than double the typical number.
"Having double digit drowning numbers for the county is very unsettling because we know that's 11 lives, 11 families," Battalion Chief Drew Hysell of Johnson County Med-Act said.
For Redmond's family, safety starts before they ever leave the house. She prepares her children for what they will see and experience at the pool to help manage sensory challenges.
"I'm constantly thinking about where do I go or what do I do, should my child have a meltdown or my child just becomes overwhelmed with all of the sensory input around them," Redmond said.
Redmond is also a strong advocate for equipping community spaces — especially pools — with sensory tools.
"We need folks to recognize that our kiddos deserve to have fun as well," Redmond said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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