Aug 12, 2008 6:33 pm US/Eastern
Mother Of Drowned Toddler Reaches Out
Many children with autism have a fascination with water. In muggy, pool-and-lake-riddled South Florida, that attraction can be deadly.
Deanna Muniz says her son Christopher could charm just about anyone. "He put a smile on everyone's face," she says. But in April, autistic Christopher got out of the house and drowned.
Deanna did some research. "I found out the leading cause of death for children with autism was drowning," Muniz says.
She wanted to make sure her tragedy never happened to another family. That's why she founded
Christopher Connections. It's a website designed to connect families of autistic children to aquatic facilities with the expertise and credentials to teach kids with special needs how to swim.
That's exactly what 4-and-a-half year old Nekeem Rose is learning to do here at AquaChamps in Wilton Manors. He has autism and his mother Michelle can't believe he's swimming after just six lessons.
"It makes me believe that if he can swim, he can do anything in life," Rose says, "And he has the future of being a productive, and successful independent individual."
It's obvious AquaChamps instructor Dan Vawter has that special something. "Dan is awesome. He is an angel sent from God," Rose says.
But Dan says he is the one that is blessed. "You get to be humbled every day, you know, because it's not really about me. I profit from them in the water. I know it sounds cliché and stuff, but it's so true," he says.
Deanna still mourns, but the love for her son lives on in every stroke and kick.
"I tell them it is possible to teach your child to swim," she tells parents of children living with autism, "And that gives them peace of mind. And when they have peace of mind, that's all that matters."
And that's the mission of Christopher Connections: to keep hopes afloat for all kids with autism.
These programs are also very therapeutic. As the kids learn to swim, they often become more social, and more verbal. Which is very important because many children with autism are non-verbal, meaning they can't cry out if they fall in the water.
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