The Adaptive Safety Around Water Program offers one-on-one instruction tailored for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. It focuses on preventing wandering-related drownings by building comfort, awareness and basic survival skills around water, according to Nicole Satterfield, Aquatics Lessons and Training Director at the East Butler County YMCA, part of the Great Miami Valley YMCA.
Launched in the summer of 2025, the program is hosted at three locations of the Great Miami Valley YMCA and Camp Campbell Gard: the East Butler YMCA, the Atrium YMCA and the Fitton YMCA. The cost of the program is covered by grant funds.
While local YMCAs receive water safety training and resources from the national YMCA, the Adaptive Safety Around Water Program is flexible and is personalized based on the person’s needs and location. Current participants age in range from 2 years old to 49 years old.
“We try to make the environment calmer and quieter, provide extra support, small numbers, give them the whole pool to themselves,” she said. “We try to give them an environment that supports them better. Special needs people need something special.”
Advocates and parents say this type of program is welcomed as people with autism tend to wander, creating a disproportionate drowning risk faced by people with disabilities.
“People with autism are attracted to water and when they wander, they may find themselves encountering water,” said Satterfield.
At least two children with developmental disabilities drowned in bodies of water in Butler County in the last 15 months.
Yuka Finegan’s son Roger, 12, is a student at Independence Elementary School in the Lakota Local School District. Before the Adaptive Safety Around Water program, she said she was uncomfortable with Roger around water.
“He loves water. Now, he can do whatever he wants in the pool,” she said with a laugh. “I appreciate the program.”
The Adaptive Safety Around Water Program is part of a long tradition of YMCAs across the country offering swimming lessons. In fact, the first YMCA to offer swimming lessons was in 1909 in Detroit, according to YMCA archives.
“Swimming lessons are highly beneficial for children with special needs because they provide a combination of essential water safety skills, therapeutic benefits, and opportunities to build physical and cognitive abilities like coordination, strength, and confidence,” Satterfield said.
Mike Bramer, CEO and president of the Great Miami Valley YMCA, said the organization serves more than 2,000 children, including those with developmental disabilities, each year through its swim lessons.
“This work is especially critical given the risks faced by children with autism. Drowning accounts for nearly 46% of all injury-related deaths among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, making them up to 160 times more likely to drown than their peers,” Bramer said.
“Learning water safety skills does more than prevent tragedy. Research shows that swim instruction also builds self-esteem, confidence, and self-efficacy—benefits that often extend into other areas of a child’s life, including academic success,” he said.
MORE DETAILS
For more information on the Adaptive Safety Around Water program, go to gmvymca.org/adaptive-safety-around-water.
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