It started with a small idea, an alarming statistic and my love for swimming. Combining these 3 things has changed my life and the lives of many people living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). My name is Cindi Green. I live in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada and I’m a single Mom of two adult children. I’ve worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 30 years and entered the field of autism 16 years ago. This was a turning point in my life and my career. When I began working as the Executive Director of a community autism resource center, I was also working as a lifeguard s ..read more

Surfing is a such a fun way to enjoy the ocean, be active and enjoy the natural environment of the beach. We know that being active is good for us, but surfing in particular can have added benefits for those who are neurodiverse that you might not know about!   Read on to find out more about the benefits of surfing…   Physical benefits of surfing Surfing is a highly aerobic activity that provides many physical benefits. Not only is it great overall exercise, the associated movements of surfing benefit gross motor strength, fine motor strength, range of motion, coordination, balance ..read more

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Photography by the ever-so-wonderful Nat Sports Media and Gavin Little Photography. Autism Swim has been running their award-winning Dippers program at Coogee Beach for SEVEN YEARS and relies on an incredible team of volunteers and staff to deliver the annual programs, along with annual sponsorship from some amazing, inclusive organisations. Through Dippers, we seek to close the gap in access and inclusion for people with a disability or specific learning need, by providing vital water safety programs. What sets Dippers apart from other specialized programs: We work toward the i ..read more

Time Blindness What is it? Time Blindness refers to a difficulty with, or complete inability to, perceive the passage of time via an internal cognitive clock. We all have periods of time blindness in our lives and it is a natural occurrence. Think about a time you have been so engrossed in doing something, you haven’t realised you’ve been doing it for an hour (flow-state this is often referred to as)! Or maybe you were waiting for something to finish and could have sworn it has been ages and ages just to find only a few minutes have passed. This happens to everyone at some point in the ..read more

What are they? A dedicated space where people can go to recalibrate , calm/chill and potentially receive various forms of organizing sensory input . They are not to be used as a punishment or as a reward; as they are about meeting the varying sensory and calming needs of everyone. They are designed to be inviting and a place whereby those using them, will be happy to go to. Who are they for? Whilst they can be particularly useful for those with sensory processing disorder and those on the autism spectrum, the reality is that they will hold benefit for all people; diagnoses or not ..read more

All event photography by the ever so wonderful Nat Sports Media. Autism Swim relies on an incredible team of volunteers and staff to deliver its annual Dippers programs.   Through Dippers, we seek to create inclusivity by providing water safety programs for children and young people with disabilities. Dippers is an award-winning modified nippers program, which is based around the individual goals of each participant. Today we’re talking with Leo Weaver, who was our on-site clinician at Coogee Dippers in 2023. Leo provided invaluable support to Dippers participants, voluntee ..read more

‘Tis the season! Well, for some of us, ‘tis actually the season for loud noises, routines being out of whack, long and exhausting social events and a general feeling of being overwhelmed by it all. Not everyone is excited about the merry chaos and not everyone finds it easy. Of course, EVERYONE deserves the right to feel included and part of the celebrations if they want to be - and it’s up to us to make some accommodations to ensure things are enjoyable for everyone as possible. Read our blog post below with some great tips on how to make Christmas more inclusive!   The Environment Set ..read more

How To Set Up an Informal Circle of Support and How to Be a Part Of Someone Else’s.   By: Erika Gleeson, Senior Behaviour Specialist (GC Autism, BA Behavioural Science), Founder/CEO of Autism Swim, Director of WeFlex, Author, Speaker, 2022 finalist for Australian of the Year and Liora Milner, Board Certified Behaviour Analysist (BSc, M. Edu in Applied Behaviour Analysis)     It’s becoming increasingly obvious that most families we work with are edging towards a stage of complete physical, social, and emotional exhaustion, they are so close to burn-out. The balancing act to prov ..read more

October is ADHD Awareness Month *ADHD Australia What is ADHD? ADHD is an abbreviation for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and is a condition that is marked by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Of course, ADHD can bring added strengths to individuals too, such as energy, an adventurous spirit, thinking outside the box and creativity. Inattention may present as difficulties with:  Sustaining attention Focusing Persisting in tasks Organisational skills Hyperactivity may present as: Difficulty staying still Fidgeting, tapping and touching everything Talking excessive ..read more