Social story topics
Social story: Swimming lessons
A pool is a wall of sensation: the echo, the smell of chlorine, cold water on skin, a wet floor, a change room full of other people. Then an adult asks you to put your face in the water. For many autistic and neurodivergent students the lesson is fine; it is everything around the lesson that is hard.
This story walks through the whole visit, from the change room to drying off, with the sensory parts named and a plan for each. Read it the night before each lesson in the first weeks. Ask the swim school for the same teacher and the same lane each time so the story stays true.
A sample story
My Swimming Lessons at the Pool
- 1First, I walk into the pool building with my blue bag.
- 2I go to the changing room and put on my swimsuit.
- 3The pool water is cold and the floor feels wet under my feet.
- 4My swimming teacher knows the water helps my body learn to float.
- 5I kick my legs in the water and I feel strong.
A sample made with HandsOnTop. Yours is written for your student.
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Tips for using it
- Ask for the same instructor and the same time each week.
- Practise the change room steps at home with the real bag and towel.
- Let the student decide whether their face goes in the water, and say so in the story.
Common questions
Can the story cover a school swimming carnival instead?
Make a separate story for that. A carnival has crowds, whistles, cheering and a long day of waiting, which is a different set of steps from a lesson.
What about goggles and swim caps?
Name whatever the student will wear and practise putting it on at home. The story can include a page about the goggles if they are the hard part.
How do I handle the change room?
Keep the sequence the same every time and write it into the story. A small laminated checklist in the swim bag helps too.