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Lessons for Children with Special Abilities

At SwimLabs, we believe swimming is a life skill®, and that all children are safer and happier when they learn the basics of water safety, no matter the challenges they face. Our Adaptive Aquatics program considers the basic goals of each swimmer as we promote comfort in the water, focus on safety, and teach the basics of swimming to the extent a child’s physical and developmental ability allows.

Will my child with special abilities benefit from swimming lessons?

Lessons can also be therapeutic and, for many swimmers with special abilities, very calming. Water can soothe sensory overload and give swimmers a feeling of weightlessness and relief from physical discomfort. Other benefits include balance, coordination, strength, and range of motion. It’s not uncommon for parents to notice confidence and self-esteem boost, either. When your child learns how to swim with SwimLabs, they receive all the benefits of swimming in a safe, and supportive environment.

Individualized lesson plans are structured based on the goals and the interests of the swimmer.

Children with special abilities best succeed with flexible, patient, empathic teachers who use individual-focused methods. SwimLabs brand Certified™ Adaptive Aquatics instructors have experience teaching the necessary skills at the appropriate time for children with a variety of special abilities, including:

  • ADHD
  • Autism or ASD and other related developmental challenges
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Down syndrome
  • Sensory struggles
  • Other Physical challenges

Our Programs:

Therapeutic Aquatic Program (T.A.P.)
Therapeutic lessons best help swimmers with muscular and limb challenges or those who struggle with head control. The goal of this program is to help children gain strength while using buoyancy and hydrostatic pressure. With this program, it is important to have a parent, caregiver or physical therapist present with you as we begin to understand the child’s movement capabilities and challenges.

Adapted Swim Levels
Our three Adapted Swim levels utilize a specific framework and structure that helps swimmers with special abilities achieve milestones, while still allowing for flexibility and adaptation for individualized lesson plans and goals. These levels incorporate foundational safety skills as well as foundational swimming skills.

Adaptive Aquatics

Get Started

Our Adaptive Aquatics program at participating locations starts with an online questionnaire form that allows us to understand your swimmer, and their goals, and helps us develop a plan to best fit their unique challenges and abilities. We then set up a time for an on-site orientation before enrolling in lessons.

In our Adaptive Aquatics program, we recommend swimmers start with private classes to ensure proper instruction and safety. We work together with you and at the swimmer’s pace through our curriculum to reach goals and objectives.

Do you offer tuition support for the Adaptive Aquatics program?

While we do not directly offer tuition support for swimming lessons for children with special abilities, we do partner with third-party organizations that may be able to help. We’d love to welcome your child to swim class, so please get in touch with your local SwimLabs to learn more.

Find a Location

THE SWIMLABS DIFFERENCE

325,000+ Kids

now have the life skill and know the joy of swimming

Proven Curriculum

developed by world class and Olympic champions

100's of exclusive

Champion Swimmer videos for individual stroke analysis

TESTIMONIALS

Jeff W.

“It's so useful to see video of your actual swimming and then immediately see video examples of ideal technique.”

Abigail. B.

“All three of my kids made huge improvements on their techniques and loved every minute of lessons with the fun teachers!”

Connie G.

“We have really seen improvement in my son's swimming technique and his overall enjoyment of swimming since we started SwimLabs.”

OTHER PROGRAMS

  • Toddler & Infant Swim Lessons
  • Children’s Swim Lessons
  • Adult Swim Lessons
  • Private & Semi-Private Swim Lessons
  • Special Needs
  • Swim Camps and Clinics
  • Swim Team Prep
  • Competitive Swim Training
  • Triathlete Swim Training
Toddler & Infant Swim Lessons

Toddler & Infant Swim Lessons

We offer two programs for kiddos under the age of 3, ParentTot and Toddler Transition. These group classes are designed for parents and infants or toddlers to work together to develop the foundational skills crucial for learning to swim and promoting safety in the water. We start lessons as early as 6-months-old and will work with you and your little one to learn skills such as being comfortable in the water, breath control, floating and kicking. All of these skills will help your child begin building confidence in the water and the foundational skills needed for swimming.

Children’s Swim Lessons

Children’s Swim Lessons

At SwimLabs, we provide a fun, innovative way for kids to learn how to swim correctly, safely, and efficiently. Our small, warm-water pools, with in-water mirrors and cameras help kids discover confidence while enjoying the water without the fear and distractions that can come with large, overcrowded swim classes. We offer various types of lessons for kids including group lessons, private lessons, semi-private lessons, and build-your-own group lessons. Our swim lessons for kids are tailored to each student's needs, whether they want to develop basic water safety skills, compete at an elite level, or something in between.

Adult Swim Lessons

Adult Swim Lessons

SwimLabs is a highly successful way for adults to learn to swim correctly and safely. We know most people learn best by seeing, so our innovative technology includes instant video feedback and mirrors in the pools so new swimmers can learn the basic skills and experienced swimmers can refine their technique and apply what they learn instantly. We offer both private and group lessons for adults looking to learn how to swim and private lessons for adults looking to improve their stroke. Whether you are excited about overcoming a fear of the water or looking to refine your technique, we will design a program that helps you reach your goals.

Private & Semi-Private Swim Lessons

Private & Semi-Private Swim Lessons

At SwimLabs, we offer private swim lessons for swimmers of all ages and abilities. Whether you’re looking to get your kiddo into one-on-one lessons or you’re a competitive swimmer looking to cut time, we can help! We offer private, semi-private, and build-your-own private lessons (up to 4 people). Private and semi-private lessons are great options if you are looking for more time focused on your individual swimmer or siblings wanting to be in the same class. These lessons take place in our warm-water pools equipped with in-water cameras and mirrors to help with instant visual feedback to help progress your learn-to swim experience or help refine technique to help you swim safer, smarter and stronger!

Special Needs

Special Needs

We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to learn how to swim and to benefit from all of the wonderful things that being in the water offers. At SwimLabs, we offer private swim lessons for kiddos and adults with unique needs of all levels. Water can soothe sensory overload and give swimmers a feeling of weightlessness and relief from physical discomfort. Swim lessons can also improve balance, coordination, strength, and range of motion so whether your goal is to learn how to swim or to get into the water for therapeutic purposes, SwimLabs’ warm-water and caring instructors, offer the perfect environment for your swimmer.

Swim Camps and Clinics

Swim Camps and Clinics

In addition to our regular lessons, we also offer various swim camps and clinics. These include SwimJams for beginners to advanced swimmers and TeamPrep for summer league and competitive swimmers. Our camps are designed to function as an introduction to our specialized swimming progression and as a way for beginner and advanced swimmers to continue building their swimming technique in a shorter amount of time. Clinics are special events hosted at various times throughout the year that include practicing starts and turns, private lessons in a big pool, open water swim options, and more!

Swim Team Prep

Swim Team Prep

Want to swim with us even more? We offer our own Swim Team Prep swim team. This team is for kids who are wanting to join a swim team in the future or who just love the sport of swimming and want to continue on as their form of exercise. It is an introduction to how swim teams work and a great opportunity for swimmers to get some mileage in the water before summer league or their competitive season! This team is coached by SwimLabs instructors where they can help take your learnings from the tanks to the big pool!

Competitive Swim Training

Competitive Swim Training

From youth competitive swimmers to master swimmers, we know every second you can shave off your time counts. Here, you’ll benefit from video technology that provides instant video feedback. In addition, mirrors in the pool let you view your stroke from all angles, helping you and your instructor analyze and adapt the most proficient techniques. SwimLabs proprietary Champions Library will also allow you to instantly compare your stroke side-by-side to some of the best swimmers in the world to refine your technique and learn drills to improve your times!

Triathlete Swim Training

Triathlete Swim Training

New to triathlon or ramping up for your “A” race? Everyone benefits from SwimLabs’ one-of-a-kind stroke analysis, which uses our 360° video system, in-pool mirrors and stroke comparison software so you can receive thorough and immediate feedback on your freestyle. We offer both private and semi-private lessons for triathletes. Get in touch with our team to learn about lesson scheduling, open water swimming and other opportunities for triathletes and triathlete clubs to train in the Lab.

OTHER LOCATIONS