Glossary
Autism
A developmental condition. People with autism face a much higher drowning risk, often linked to wandering toward water.
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, is a developmental condition that affects communication, behavior and how a person experiences the world. On this site we focus on one urgent fact: water is a serious danger for many people with autism.
The CDC (opens in a new tab) says deaths among people with autism are nearly 40 times as likely to be caused by drowning as deaths in the general population. That figure comes from a national study of 1,367 deaths of people with autism from 1999 to 2014 (Guan and Li (opens in a new tab)). The researchers recommend helping children with autism take swimming lessons as soon as they are diagnosed. A Columbia University press release quoted a far higher figure, 160 times, for children specifically; we use the CDC figure.
Why the risk is so high: many children with autism are drawn to water and may wander away from home or school. Many drownings happen in ponds near home (Guan and Li (opens in a new tab)).
What helps most: layered barriers at home, early and adapted swim lessons, close supervision, and a plan shared with everyone who cares for the child. The AAP (opens in a new tab) says swim lessons can be adapted for children with autism. See water safety for children with autism and adaptive swim lessons.
What you can do today: ask your child's therapist or school whether water safety can be added to their goals.