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Special Needs Water Safety Checklist

Children with disabilities — especially those who wander — face a much higher drowning risk. Work through these layers of protection, then fill in your child's plan at the bottom and share it with every caregiver.

WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

🏠 Elopement-Proof Your Home & Yard

  • Secure every exit. Add high locks, door chimes, and door/window alarms so you hear it instantly if your child slips out toward water.
  • Fence the pool on all four sides with a self-closing, self-latching gate — isolating the pool from the house, not just the yard.
  • Add a gate and surface alarm so any opening of the gate or break in the water surface sounds an alert.
  • Remove pool toys and ride-ons from view when the pool is closed — they draw a wandering child straight to the water.
  • Map nearby water — neighbor pools, ponds, drainage canals — and tell neighbors your child may head there if they bolt.

👁️ Supervision & Communication

  • Assign a phone-free Water Watcher within arm's reach of your child — sensory overload and impulsivity can lead to a silent, sudden entry.
  • Teach “ask first.” Practice and reward the rule that water is only for when a trusted adult says yes and is right there.
  • Use visual supports — picture cards, a social story, or a first/then board — to make pool rules predictable and clear.
  • Brief every caregiver (grandparents, sitters, camp staff) on your child's triggers, calming strategies, and the exact supervision plan.
  • Consider an ID bracelet or tracking device if your child is nonverbal or can't reliably give their name and address.

🏊 Build Skills With Adaptive Swim Lessons

  • Enroll in adaptive swim lessons with instructors trained to teach children with disabilities — survival skills are the layer that travels everywhere.
  • Prioritize survival skills first: getting to the wall, rolling to a back float, and breathing — before strokes.
  • Ask for sensory accommodations — warm water, quieter sessions, swim earplugs, a consistent instructor, and a predictable routine.
  • Share a one-page profile of your child's communication style, motivators, and what a meltdown looks like, before the first lesson.
  • Use Coast Guard-approved life jackets — never floaties or water wings — for any weak or non-swimmer near open water.

🆘 Be Ready For an Emergency

  • Get CPR-certified — you, your partner, and regular caregivers — and renew about every two years.
  • Know the signs of drowning: quiet, fast, and easy to miss — no splashing or shouting.
  • Keep rescue gear at the pool — a reaching pole and a ring buoy — and remember: reach or throw, don't go.
  • Post your address and 911 where you swim so any caregiver can give an exact location fast.

My Child's Water Safety Plan — Fill It In & Share It

Child's name: ___________________
Emergency number: 911
Our address: ____________________
Nearest cross street: ____________
Sensory triggers: ______________
Calming strategies: ____________
How my child communicates: _____
Water Watcher on duty: __________
Adaptive instructor / notes: ____
CPR cert renewal date: _________

Created by WaterWiseKids.com — Free water safety education for families

Sources: National Autism Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC. This checklist is educational and does not replace certified CPR/first-aid training or professional advice.

Back to the full guide · Water Watcher card · Adaptive swim lessons

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Swimming Skill Is the Layer That Travels With Your Child

Barriers, alarms, watchful eyes, and CPR all buy time — but the ability to swim is what protects a child in the moment something goes wrong. Adaptive, safety-first swim lessons meet your child where they are. Find a program near you.

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