Yet ANOTHER young autistic boy has drowned in a retention pond in Orlando today.

[Judge]

Reminds me of an ex-girlfriend who once specialized in training infants and toddlers to swim, and become comfortable in water beyond a tub or bassinet. So important, particularly for new parents who had swimming pools in their backyards.

Though as other have pointed out, tragically there are numerous other types of bodies of water to consider. Fast currents, canals with upright walls and considerations of hypothermia that can take the life of even an accomplished swimmer.

I still recall being off the coast of Southern California with my cousin in about 12 feet of water when we got caught in a riptide. It was ugly. Both of us were accomplished swimmers as teens. For me it was the last time I chose to swim in salt water. As for my cousin, she would go on to become an accomplished scuba diver, until she nearly drowned from an equipment malfunction.

 

[vergil96]

It's hard to judge. Autistic children can have a poor sense of danger and might not know they hurt themselves.

 

[Crossbreed]

Autistic children can have a poor sense of danger and might not know they hurt themselves.

It is a facet of executive dysfunction.

 

[Mary Terry]

It's hard to judge. Autistic children can have a poor sense of danger and might not know they hurt themselves.

I think autistic children have limited ability to anticipate consequences of their actions, and they are fascinated by and attracted to water.