This past weekend, the Gaithersburg, Maryland, community conducted a frantic search for a missing 6-year-old boy with autism. Community members later found Fawzan Hassan’s body in a pond.
“As families, as a community, it’s heartbreaking to hear any drowning instances,” Bonnie Alcid, owner of British Swim School, told News4.
The school offers swim lessons tailored to students with special needs and has eight locations throughout Montgomery and Fairfax counties.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for people with autism who wander, according to the group Autism Speaks.
“The children are learning a life skill, a life-saving skill. And we have an opportunity to educate parents on the danger of water activity,” Alcid said.
The school also partners with Hope Floats, a foundation that helps them offer financial aid. Special needs families who qualify for free and reduced lunch can get the swim lessons free of charge.
Christina Abbasi, a mother who takes her son, Alexander Abbasi, to the pool every week, said she wants to make sure he knows how to swim.
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“Giving them the skills they need to kind of get out of situations, find solutions themselves, is extremely important because they’re not going to be the ones asking for help when an emergency arises,” she said.
As for Alexander, his mom said he now loves the pool so much he can’t get enough.
“The reason we have a hard time getting him out is because he’s having so much fun with his friends, that he wants to stay," she said.
