BREAKING BARRIERS
ORGANISATION Inverness Leisure
PROJECT
Helping children with autism
nverness Leisure has launched a free Swim Access Scheme for families affected by autism, thought to be the first of its kind in the UK. In partnership with the National Autistic Society Scotland, Inverness Leisure developed an illustrated booklet for parents and carers detailing the various experiences and sensations they might come across at a swimming pool. The scheme was created after CEO James Martin was approached by a customer with an autistic child. “They had experienced difficulty and expense bringing their son to the pool,” he says. “They had to leave almost as soon as they got in the water, as the experience was too stressful for their child.
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“Our coaching and instruction staff had been trained by the National Autistic Society (NAS), and by Highland Council’s outreach team on working with children on the autistic spectrum, so we had a good understanding of the needs of children with autism. We decided to do something about the situation our customer described, creating a scheme that would offer families the chance to prepare themselves to come swimming.” In addition to the booklet, each
family is also provided with six free family swim vouchers, allowing them to
Inverness Leisure offers autistic children and their families six free swimming vouchers
‘acclimatise’ themselves with swimming at Inverness Leisure pools. “Swimming is a life-skill, and it’s important that everyone has access to water in order to build their understanding and confidence,” adds Martin. “The scheme also has the additional benefit of introducing children on the autistic spectrum to a very family-based activity, giving them the
opportunity to improve their social development skills as well.” The project, launched last summer to coincide with the start of the London 2012 Paralympics, was awarded support funding from the Scottish government’s new fund to support autism awareness. Dr Robert Moffat, national director of the National Autistic Society Scotland, says: “An estimated 50,000 people in Scotland have autism, with nearly 1,000 thought to live in Inverness. From the outside, they can appear to be functioning well, while often experiencing severe challenges in communication and social situations. Most people with autism want the same social and leisure opportunities the rest of us take for granted – they just need the right support at the right time to help them do this.” Inverness Leisure is about to embark
Swimming is a fun, family activity that can help autistic children with social skills July 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
on a reprint of the booklet, having distributed almost 1,000 so far through partner organisations such as the NAS and NHS Highland, as well as through schools, educational psychologists and directly to families.
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