The Athens YMCA was awarded a swimming and water safety scholarship from Autism Speaks as part of a comprehensive safety and wandering prevention program set up through the group's Swimming and Water Safety Scholarship Fund.
The Athens Y was one of 16 programs nationwide sharing a total of $28,000 from Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization.
An Interactive Autism Network survey, partially funded by Autism Speaks, found that 49 percent of children with autism wander or bolt.
Summer activities near the pool or shore require heightened vigilance because, for reasons researchers do not yet understand, many people with autism are attracted to bodies of water.
In 2015, police departments nationwide documented more than 30 wandering-related deaths of people with autism spectrum disorder, most caused by accidental drowning.
Source: Athens YMCA awarded scholarship for swimming and water safety
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