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Summer is in full swing, which means long days outside, sticky popsicle hands, and a few practical reminders for keeping everyone safe and comfortable. Here are three simple tips that have worked for us.
Sunscreen is a necessary evil. While my son tolerates it, he does not like the feel or that we have to reapply after a few hours. Enter the rash guard and sun shirt. From the very beginning, I mandated that a rash guard be worn in the pool, inside or out. That’s made it less of a battle to wear one as he’s aged.
As for the sun shirt, they are light, sun repellent, breathable, and can be doused with water to cool off as they dry. My son now prefers to wear them as his daily uniform, as he favors the texture of the fabric next to his sensory sensitive skin. A win-win in our house.
I’m beyond lucky that my son is an excellent water consumer. It’s the only beverage he drinks. But because of his communication challenges, I do worry if he gets overheated (or worse) and cannot tell me specifically how he’s feeling. Enter the ice-based dessert.
Whether it’s a Kona Ice Truck, popsicle, or the beloved gas station slushee, if he’s gulping it down I’m put at ease that he’s beating the heat.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for autistic children. An intrinsic fascination with water and elopement are a terrible combination for this community. If there is one skill that I have pushed for my son, it is learning to swim.
Not surprisingly, he loves the water and he’s now a fairly proficient swimmer. He can go underwater without holding his nose, float, and jump off a diving board with ease, but he still takes lessons and is working on swim stroke mechanics. Does this mean he’s the next Michael Phelps? Yeah no, but the better swimmer he is, the more confidence I have that he’ll be able to come out of a dangerous situation unscathed.
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