A Note from the SCS DDEI Committee

Friday, April 1, 2022

A Note from the SCS DDEI Committee:

April 2, 2022, is National Autism Awareness Day! Among the many duties, the DDEI Committee performs, one of our duties is to bring awareness, educate and enlighten the SCS members of various disabilities. Many SCS teams have members that struggle with depression, anxiety, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, and Autism spectrum disorders. This short note will address April 2, 2022, National Autism Awareness Day.


The CDC defines autism as a spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in different ways from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. 


Participating in swimming is one of the best ways to enhance an individual with ASD. It has been proven that as little as 20 minutes of active swimming can enhance someone with ASD attention and social awareness, increase reading comprehension, and improve performance on arithmetic tests. The SCS DDEI Committee hopes each team will help support National Autism Awareness Day! For more information concerning ASD, please visit: https://www.autismspeaks.org

For information on teaching ASD swimmers, visit:

https://swimangelfish.com


----SCS DDEI Committee/arranged by George Young Metro DDEI Chair


A special water safety concerning ASD note: Drowning remains a leading cause of death for children with autism and accounts for approximately 90 percent of deaths associated with wandering or bolting by those age 14 and younger.