Most children will agree the best part of summer is going swimming. Destiny is, well, a little obsessed about going into the pool. It all started two years ago when we were over to my mother’s house for a BBQ/pool party. Destiny went into their pool and stayed in for hours. She didn’t even come out when the food was ready. At that time, she just loved being in the water. A smile never left her face. Destiny never really wanted to play with any floating toys, practice jumping in, or try to float or swim. She would just walk around and flick the water. At that time, she didn’t have any language and would get very upset when it was time to get out. I usually had to get into the pool and pull her out of the water. Last year, Destiny’s overall skills were improving. She started to say “Grandma’s pool” as a request. We had to give her a visual schedule of “First/Then” to tell her that first she had to eat and then she can go back into the pool. This way she could at least take a break and eat something. But Destiny just wanted to be in the pool. She began to explore the way her body moved in the water. She started to play with an inflatable ring and try to ride an inflatable dolphin for a brief moment. Destiny would still refuse to leave the pool but the intensity was less. Well since the springtime, whenever Destiny would see anything remotely connected to a pool she would say, “Can I have Grandma’ pool please?” She would even put on her bathing suit out of the blue. We have gone to the pool just a few times this summer and I can see such a difference in her. Today, she was jumping into the pool like the rest of the kids. She was even trying to do “cannonballs” and other diving stunts. Destiny was having a water gun fight with her siblings and really interacting with them. And when it was time to go, I gave her a 5-minute warning and she got out without any problems. It was very successful. I was reminded at how much she has grown over the last two years.

Every parent who has a child with a disability knows how difficult it is to find childcare during school breaks. Most parents have to work when their child is on a school break. In our community, this is a huge problem. Local day care centers do not the trained staff to support children with autism. And they’re not willing to take the chance to try to be flexible or make any program modifications, probably for liability purposes. Another option is to find a private caregiver who is trained and able to care for your child while you work. But most of the time, parents have to take time off work. I struggled with this problem for years. I am fortunate enough now that since I work in a school, I am off when my kids are off. But the majority of local parents are in tough predicaments. I recently met a single father who was in the same dilemma. He had no childcare arrangements for his son for the next two weeks before the summer program starts. My heart went out to him as I saw the familiar angst on his face. Since I was already going to be home with my kids, I volunteered to care for his son until school started. His son is 11 years old and has autism. He is adorable and well mannered. Being a single parent, this father would have no other choice but to take time off and not get paid. It would of created even more stress in his life. Now at least he has one less thing to worry about. I have always said that there needs to be a program that can provide childcare during the breaks. A friend had said that maybe I should start my own program. I replied, “Anything is possible!!!”