In this case study Amy Webster, previous Active for Autism Coordinator at the National Autistic Society, and Kym Borland, a Swimming Instructor based in Essex, explore how swimming lessons were adapted for a young autistic man.

Many autistic people are reluctant to participate in sport or physical activity due to factors related to the condition, such as:

• heightened fear and anxiety in social situations
• difficulty understanding body language and metaphors
• sensory challenges.

With this in mind, all coaches and activity leaders should have a good awareness and understanding of autism so that they can help an individual navigate these issues by adapting coaching sessions and methods.

It is important to emphasise that autism is an individual condition and affects different people in different ways and to varying degrees. Every autistic person, like anyone else, should be able to enjoy the well-documented benefits of physical activity such as:

• increased self-esteem
• development of social skills
• improved physical and mental health, as well as general wellbeing.

Case study

As highlighted above, swimming lessons may be difficult for many autistic people for sensory, language and social reasons. Some autistic people also have a limited sense of danger.

This case study examines how a swimming instructor adapted her coaching to work with a young autistic man.  Kym Borland, a swimming teacher in Waltham Abbey in Essex, has had the opportunity to learn about autism after 20 year old Nathan Scott began attending her classes over two years ago.

“When I first began teaching Nathan I did find it fairly difficult because my teaching methods were different from those of his first swimming instructor. Because of this it did take a while for Nathan to accept me.”

Kym emphasises the importance of coaches and activity leaders having the opportunity to gain more of an understanding of autism, through specific training and by talking to the autistic person’s support networks.

“I’ve been teaching for 18 years and would have loved some training to learn more about autism. I found talking to Adam (Nathan’s dad) a huge help.  He helped me understand Nathan’s frustrations, and I learned to adapt my teaching to make it easier for Nathan to understand”.

As well as communicating with Adam, Kym also reached out to Nathan’s previous swim teacher Jacqui, for information and advice. 

“I soon learned that Nathan was very keen to learn and get badges, which became a useful incentive for encouraging him to engage in the sessions.”

Kym explained that the process of achieving badges becomes more difficult as the level increases, and it was here that she found some difficulties when trying to teach Nathan the breast stroke.

“Breast stroke was difficult because I think it became quite frustrating for Nathan. However, I found that patience and little tweaks and adaptations over time helped. It wasn’t a quick process but it is important to take the time to find out which method of teaching and learning is the most effective for the individual. I break things down and try to keep it simple, while making things fun and understanding when enough is enough”.

“If Nathan is ever reluctant to carry on I try to change any negative thoughts into positive ones, whilst letting Nathan know that I am not forcing him to engage. We have a little try and see how it goes. It’s important that I don’t push too much. I need to be ready for “I’m not doing that”.

Over the past 2 years Kym has developed an understanding of how Nathan likes to learn, and she continues to communicate with his dad to ensure that her teaching methods meet Nathan’s needs. 

“We have become a team and are friends, and I understand his frustrations”.

Kym’s advice for anyone who may be struggling to engage their autistic participants?

“Be patient - know when to stop pushing and when to change tactics”.

Far too many autistic people routinely miss out on the benefits of physical exercise, which is why The National Autistic Society have launched Active for Autism. Active for Autism offers autism awareness for sport and physical activity leaders.

Further reading

Activity leaders and sports instructors: a guide to autism