About the Nonprofit
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Sensory Enhanced Aquatics (SEA) was developed by Occupational Therapy Education faculty at The University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) over 10 years ago to fill the need for a swimming and water safety program for children with autism spectrum disorders. Recently, we have expanded our services to reach adults with autism. Our vision is that all individuals with autism have access to quality, affordable swim lessons that meet their learning needs. It is our mission to teach water safety and swimming skills to people with autism to support lifelong recreational physical activity.
Water is dangerous for children with autism, who are 160 times more likely to drown than other children. Swimming and water safety instruction can decrease the risk of drowning, but typical private or group lessons often do not meet the learning needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
Sensory Enhanced Aquatics instructors use evidenced-based strategies to teach swimming and water safety to individuals with autism. Sensory Enhanced Aquatics has reached over 250 children and is now teaching adults. Program evaluation surveys have shown that 100% of parents felt their children were safer around water after eight Sensory Enhanced Aquatics lessons and more than 90% had increased their family water activities.