Jake joined a toddler swim class at our local YMCA. I thought it is a good opportunity for him to be in the company of typical developing kids. This past weekend was his first time going to the class. All the kids in the class are three and under, and each one goes in the pool with one parent. Jake went in with his daddy. The funny thing was that while in the water, Jake really looks no different than all the other little kids, because he has a childish face; but out of the water, all the kids were so much shorter, he looked like a giant next to them.The first thing the teacher told us right after we got Jake changed was that, each kid has to be invited into the pool by having an adult count “One, two, and three”. She said over time, it will become a habit for the children to know that he/she can not jump into the pool without an adult’s permission. During the class, the children practiced swimming at their own level; they also practiced how to get out of the pool. The teacher showed my husband how to assist Jake in moving his arms which I thought it is a good exercise for him. Because Jake’s shoulders are very tight. My husband still has to get a hang of how to assist Jake because when the teacher did it with Jake, the movement looked very natural and smooth, but when my husband did it, it looked a bit awkward.
