WESTON — Florida will expand a voucher program on July 1, 2026, prioritizing subsidized swim lessons for children ages 1-7 diagnosed with autism. The program aims to address the higher risk of drowning among autistic children, who are 160 times more likely to die from drowning than other children, according to a 2017 Columbia University study.

The swim lesson voucher offers approximately $200, which covers as many as eight lessons. Approximately half of autistic children tend to wander from safe environments. "We have tragic circumstances and stories across the state of Florida of young children with autism that are wandering away, they're eloping from their homes, from their classrooms," Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani said.

Eskamani emphasized the preventability of such incidents. "These [tragedies] are so preventable, but if that child at an early age does not have access to drowning prevention and swimming lessons, then those statistics will only continue," she said. Once the updated law is implemented, healthcare providers across Florida will provide information about drowning prevention and the state swim program to parents of newborns.

Most children in Florida who drown do so in backyard pools. The YMCA of South Florida operates 64 locations, with 27 of these serving children with learning differences. Alison Bregman-Rodriguez, Vice President of the YMCA of South Florida, said in a podcast interview that more than 60 percent of the youth in their adaptive recreational program have an autism diagnosis. "We provide this program for those with a variety of disabilities, primarily over 60 percent of our youth who do come have a diagnosis of autism," Bregman-Rodriguez said. The adaptive swim lessons at the YMCA of South Florida serve more than 600 children with disabilities. "This program, however, does serve all who want to feel like they belong," she said.

Tania Santiago Perez, a Professor at Florida International University, noted in a podcast interview the effectiveness of the lessons. "The fact that we have been seeing that in five or six sessions they're able to improve swim skills, to us, is very powerful," Santiago Perez said. She added that the program promotes group cohesion and socialization. "That's one thing to promote group cohesion and then the socialization with other kids," Perez said. "Because with kids with autism, sometimes they're very to themselves and that social behavior is one thing we want to develop," she said. "So the therapist is trying to redirect him back to get inside the pool," Perez said. "Toys help a lot because at the end of the day, they're kids and kids learn by play and positive reinforcement," she said.

Why It Matters

This expansion of Florida's swim lesson voucher program aims to reduce the risk of drowning, a leading cause of death for children with autism. The program's focus on early intervention and education aligns with statistics indicating a higher drowning rate for autistic children. The requirement for healthcare providers to offer drowning prevention information to new parents is part of a broader effort to increase awareness and access to safety resources across the state.