Diving in the Pool

Back in private swim lessons this first week in July, after having been in private swim lessons with the same teacher in the first two weeks of June, and this week he's putting more and more together. He willingly dove off the side of the pool this week - yes, head first. His swim teacher says that besides Matthew's cousin, Matthew is the only other kid who is enthusiastic about diving. Not bad for a 4-1/2 year old, right? I didn't learn to dive like he can now until I was 8 or 9 years old.

He is learning fast and getting better at coming up for a breath after jumping or diving in. He brings himself up to the surface and kicks his way to the side of the pool with just a little hand assist and no floatie. He can even get diving rings close to the bottom of the 3-1/2 foot shallow end of the pool. (Matthew is 37 inches tall.)

He is definitely more successful at learning to swim in just 3 weeks this summer than when he was in swim lessons at the YMCA almost all year last year. I think this rapid progression is because of a combination of factors:
- private swim lessons have much been better for him at keeping him focused and engaged during the whole lesson instead of having to wait his turn and being easily distracted during group lessons at the Y. If I could go back in time, I would get him in private lessons instead of putting him in group swim lessons last year.
- his current swim teacher has a no-floatie-method style of teaching. It's very effective with him. She also keeps expectations high with him.
- he's a year older and has better gross motor coordination and strength this year.
- he LOVES swimming and is fearless in and around the pool.



Related post:
Swim Lessons

Swim Lessons

I don't know if Matthew will be an Olympic swimmer or even be interested in competitive swimming. He has always loved the water and we had him in the swimming pool since he was 8 months old. He uses putty-type ear plugs to keep pool water out of his ears. He's on his 2nd set of ear tubes.

He was in group swim lessons most of last year at the Y's indoor pool. This summer is the first time Matthew is in swim lessons this year - private lessons this time. I think the individual attention has been better for him.



My immediate goal: I would like him to be able to swim without a float or swim vest. He still needs to develop overall strength in his legs to be able to propel forward effectively when he kicks in the water. He's also still learning to put movements together like kicking while keeping his head in the water, not just one or the other. He'll improve with practice and other strength building activities outside the water.

Here's a short video of his lessons during the first week.

Conversation Book: Swim Class

Matthew loves swimming. He loves dunking his head in the water and he holds his breath for a few seconds. He still needs a floatie though. Without a floatie, he can't seem to propel himself forward so his swim instructor is teaching him that now.

I love that he loves swimming. It's fun and great exercise for him. My fear is that he has no fear of water. That can be dangerous.

He's been away from the pool for 2 weeks now because of the wheezing but I think he's good to go again this week.

Pike Swim Class

Matthew is a frog in the water. He kicks and kicks and kicks. He's all smiles and laughter with water running down his face. I can only see this from the "viewing deck" though. He is in a swim class without me in the pool.



There are four other kids, ages 3 to 5, in the class with two swim instructors. One of the instructors is with Matthew at all times as I had requested. Why? Mainly to help him stay focused and engaged in the class as he tends to zone out or get distracted with everything else around the pool. He has a good attention span when he gets one-to-one time but when he's in a group, his attention seems to wane. I could've enrolled him in private swim lessons but I wanted him to experience being in a group taking turns and having other kids as role models.



He has ear tubes so he wore ear plugs as recommended by his ENT. He popped them out a few times. He had never worn ear plugs before since I had never had his head submerged in the water. So this was a new sensation that he will have to get used to. From what I've heard, all ENT's have different opinions on ear plugs being mandatory in the pool. Some say ear plugs aren't necessary while some would disagree. Lake water is a different story though. I'm hoping Matthew won't need a 3rd set of ear tubes when the ones he has now fall out.



They did laps in the pool today with floaties on their backs and a foam noodle under their arms. They were also taught basic swim strokes, how to float on their belly, float on their back, blow bubbles in the water, jump in, and wade to the pool side. He was shivering by the end of the class but Matthew enjoyed every minute.

The Water Baby

The first time I took Matthew in the pool, I immediately knew he had the water gene, just as Bill and I do. It was at a swim class called 'Creative Movement Swim' at the YMCA. Matthew was 6 months old. The other kids screaming or laughing in and around the (indoor) pool did not bother him at all. The sensation of the water around his body didn't bother him either, but I wasn't surprised by that because he loved bath time. He was quite at home in the pool.

We took a break from the class in the winter and the beginning of spring but now we're back in it. Before you get visions of Matthew swimming laps with the butterfly stroke or learning to swim underwater, let me tell you it's not THAT kind of swim class. The class focuses on fun activities for babies and kids (6 weeks to 6 years old) who have developmental disabilities. Not only is it aqua therapy or hydrotherapy, but it's a fun playgroup in the pool.

The Activities
With the goal of building coordination, balance, flexibility, strength, muscle control, spatial awareness and focus, we sing songs, play ball, and simply move around in the water. Sometimes the class instructor has everyone in the class move in a circle, with parents helping their kids use their arms to doggy-paddle. Matthew is learning to scissor kick while holding on to the kick board. Noodle floats also provide lots of entertainment when the kids ride them as if they were seahorses. Then of course, there's water basketball where we take turns dunking the ball. These are just a few of the activities that we do in this 45-minute class.

It's one of the best things we've done for Matthew's development.
When he was 6 months old, he could hold his head up but was far from being mobile. Being in the water allowed him to move his arms and legs with less effort. He was so excited that he kicked and kicked, like little frog on caffeine. He would belly swim on land too but he couldn't get himself to move forward. But in the water, his kicking was rewarded with moving forward as I held him under his arms and trolled him through the water every time he kicked. Now, 19 months old, we're focusing on more controlled kicking and using the arms more in the water.

For our purposes, the class provides early intervention to counteract his low muscle tone, also known as hypotonia, which is common in people with Down syndrome. In a blog post at Down Syndrome New Mama titled "Got Tone?" , Ds. Mama wrote: "Think of it as waking up sleeping muscles and then helping to pave the communication highway between the brain and the muscles." With practically every muscle in the body working when swimming, it's a great way to increase stimulation to the brain and nervous system. The water allows more freedom of movement and provides gentle, even resistance for Matthew to develop better muscle control, strength, coordination, and sense of balance.

How much has this helped Matthew?
To be honest, I have no way of telling exactly how much this swim class has helped his overall development. I do know that by giving him more learning opportunities through a wide variety of activities, I am contributing to his development in some way. More importantly, Matthew enjoys the water. That's what really matters.