As summer pool season ramps up across Southeast Texas, pediatricians are warning families about the increased drowning risks some neurodivergent children may face around water.<\/p>\n
In part two of KPRC 2\u2019s summer pool safety series, experts say children with autism and other neurodivergent conditions may be especially vulnerable because many are naturally drawn to water.<\/p>\n
KPRC 2 reporter TJ Parker spoke with experts at the McWilliams Family YMCA about what families should know heading into the busy summer months.<\/p>\n
Doctors say any body of water, including pools, ponds, lakes, or bathtubs, can become dangerous within seconds.<\/p>\n
According to pediatrician Tiffany Nguyen, many autistic and neurodivergent children are fascinated by water because of its sensory qualities, including the way it feels, sounds, or looks.<\/p>\n
\u201cSummertime can be especially challenging for kids who are autistic or neurodivergent because they have a special sensitivity and interest in water,\u201d Nguyen said. \u201cWhenever they have the opportunity, they just wander.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts say that fascination can increase the risk of wandering, making supervision and multiple layers of protection critical.<\/p>\n
Doctors encourage families to build a strong safety network by informing neighbors, relatives, babysitters, and caregivers if a child may wander toward water.<\/p>\n
Safety experts also recommend creating multiple backup safety systems, including:<\/p>\n
Pool fences and locked gates <\/p>\n
Door and pool alarms <\/p>\n
Constant adult supervision <\/p>\n
Formal swim lessons <\/p>\n
CPR training for caregivers <\/p>\n
Doctors also caution parents against relying on floaties or water wings as life-saving devices.<\/p>\n
Experts say swim lessons can begin as early as infancy and should continue as children grow and develop confidence in the water.<\/p>\n
The YMCA says adaptive swim lessons are available for neurodivergent children and can be tailored to fit each child\u2019s individual needs and comfort level.<\/p>\n
Water safety advocates say preparation and prevention are key to helping families safely enjoy the summer season.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As summer pool season ramps up across Southeast Texas, pediatricians are warning families about the increased drowning risks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2412,56,58,57,110323,110322,20559,110324,3731,8349,110325],"class_list":["post-304532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-drowning","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-houston-summer-pool-safety","tag-pediatric-drowning-prevention","tag-pool","tag-special-needs-water-safety","tag-summer","tag-swimming","tag-texas-summer-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}