Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated James Vaughn's grade level in school. The error has been corrected. (April 2, 2024)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — April is Autism Awareness Month and Mary Vaughn says if it weren’t for organizations helping families navigate the unique challenges of autism, their family’s journey would have been much different.
About 11 years ago, Mary’s eldest son James was diagnosed with Autism. “The official community diagnosis came at five,” Mary said. Her son James is 16 and a competitive swimmer at Ballard High School.
James’ successes in the pool are a testament to how far the Vaughn family has come since the diagnosis. James has always been attracted to water, but there were parts of swimming he didn’t like. “I did not want to put my face in the water,” Vaughn said.
Children living with autism face unique challenges. In some cases they may be drawn to it but the sensation of being in water can be overwhelming, especially if a child has no experience swimming.
“It can also be a little bit scary because you’re like, oh my goodness, he needs to learn how to swim. This is extremely important. You know this is life-changing safety, let alone for your health and enjoyment,” Mary said. But there are organizations helping families connect with resources and organizations aimed at supporting families living with autism.
FEAT stands for “Families for Effective Autism Treatment.” FEAT has long teamed up with All About Kids, a sports center in Louisville, to facilitate special classes to help children like James learn how to be active and confident with activities like swimming.
“The water safety is a huge component of our program because we see drownings are at a high level with those with Autism because they are drawn to the water...so providing swim lessons and safety we’re hoping that it will prevent some of those accidental drownings,” Monica Cooper of FEAT explained.
Over time, James’ curiousness became matched with the confidence needed to be in the pool. Not only is James an avid swimmer, he’s an award-winning swimmer. “I like to perform in the 50 and 100 freestyle. I often do backstroke and breaststroke,” Vaughn said.
“It’s amazing,” Mary said.
10 years ago James was afraid to put his face under water and now when he climbs out of the pool, he’s stepping onto podiums. “I did overcome that a while ago, many years ago,” James said.