Time to Swim

The boys started swimming lessons today. Anytime I put them in a new group learning situation, I have anxiety about Owen and how he will do. Aidan is like a used car salesman, practically shaking hands with the teachers, while Owen keeps to himself and has trouble staying focused when being addressed as a member of a group. Still, teachers/coaches tend to just think he's a little spacey, but generally cooperative. 

But you add the potentially life threatening factor of water and well, my anxiety spikes. I mean, it's one thing if he zones out on dry land, but another if he's in the pool and forgets he's supposed to hang on to the floaty while the instructor is helping another kid.

I am, of course, partially to blame for my anxiety because I continually put him in classes for typical kids and often don't mention his autism to the instructors. I'm always conflicted about it but my experience has shown me that when treated like any other kid, he acts like any other kid. Sure, he's spacey and can be a bit rigid, but he's mostly just a little quirky. He has had a couple meltdowns when he got frustrated in a class, but even those could easily have been within the "normal" range of preschool temper tantrums...there just never seems to be a need for me to swoop in and explain, "He has autism." I just hate the idea that anyone would treat him differently based on a label rather than getting to know him like anyone else. 

For swimming, however, it's different. I met his 20-year-old teacher before class and told her of his diagnosis. She gave me a look that said "I have no idea what that means and now I'm nervous about having him in my class," which is basically what I was afraid of, but I explained that it just means he's a little spacey and he might need extra reminders. She seemed okay with that. It's just my boys and a little girl in the class, so it should be pretty easy for her to keep an eye on him. 

My fears were put to rest when class started and I was reminded that autism or no autism, my two boys are equally uncoordinated, which makes them both pretty poor swimmers. As if to underscore this fact, the little girl in the class has apparently already mastered the breast stroke. I'm now hoping she'll get bumped up a level, leaving my boys to have private lessons for two weeks. Score.