My 11 year old autistic son was unable to swim without direct-contact supervision and a flotation device.  Because he is non-verbal and has extreme difficulties with communication I was skeptical that he could learn swimming skills.  Despite this, I signed him up for lessons with Debbie at the recommendation of a friend.  I assumed that the heated therapy pool would calm him (he is very hypo-sensitive) and serve as weekend entertainment.  I wasn’t expecting much more.  Much to my delight, not only did he love his time in the pool, but he also learned to swim!   It took a few years and his form is still a paddle, but he is now safe in the water.   We live a mile from the ocean and my parents (whom we spend a lot of time with) live directly on a lake.  This summer, I sat on the beach and supervised him from a distance.  At the lake he swam unassisted out to the floating dock.  In water way over his head!  You could see on his face that he knew how impressive his accomplishment was.  And he loved being out near his peers (without mom in tow) on the floating dock.  Debbie has given our family such wonderful peace of mind and Jackson an invaluable skill.  Whitney Whinnery – Boston Higashi School Parent Adivsory Treasurer

Debbie demonstrated the best understanding and approach to introducing John to the pool and confidently led him to acquire new swim and safety skills each week. Deb demonstrated knowledge and skill at redirection of John’s challenging behaviors. Deb was encouraging and related positive confidence to John. My son benefitted greatly from these swim and safety lessons-by displaying less fear, more confidence, and a happy smile each time. Swim with Debbie has been beneficial to John’s physical and emotional health! Gayle White

I am writing to tell you of the positive experience we have had with Debbie as our swim instructor for the past three years.  Debbie teaches our son with an open-mind and has spent a tremendous amount of time and care in teaching him to swim effectively and safely.   He responds well to her teaching approach while her incredible ability to be flexible and fun shines through in all her lessons.  We are grateful to have her as our son’s teacher. Kristin Zechello – Sepac Co-Chair

Until we worked with Deb and Autism Swim and Recreation LLC, we were afraid to take our son near water.  Like most children with autism, he is a sensory seeker and and would enter a deep body of water with no fear or concern for personal safety.  Through working with Deb he has learned basic water-safety and has started swimming safely on his own.  No one else has been able this for our child.  We are so grateful for this unique service.  Tracy Menoza

This swim program is just what our family needed.  There was nothing near us and many programs we checked weren’t able to handle our energetic autistic child.  After working with Debbie his confidence is through the roof.  We have a cmmunity pool in our town and are now comfortable taking him and he even swims independently alongside his brothers.  Swimming has become one of the few activities our whole family can do to gether.  We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn to swim safely with Debbie.  Lauren Williams

My daughter Loreli was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and always had issues with gross motor skills.  I decided to find a swim instructor and at the recommendation of an occupational therapist, I came across Debbie’s company (Autism Swim And Recreation LLC).  From Day one, Debbie put me at ease, and I was excited to see how my daughter connected with Debbie.   As the weeks passed I would continue to see Loreli make progress and then one week I saw her swimming on her own.  I have never felt more proud of her as I did in that moment and I attribute that to all her work with Debbie.  Her confidence soared.  I cannot thank Debbie enough for making such a big difference in my daughter’s life.  David Lau

Our 3-year old son Ben, has a diagnosis of ASD and has always loved water.  He finds lots of creative ways to get to a pool with or without supervision.  We wanted to be sure he could be safe in a pool, but knew it would be a challenge to teach him because of his verbal and motor planning deficits.  Debbie’s warmth, patience, and individualized instruction technique took Ben from sinking to swimming in less than a year. His swimming skills now exceed those of his typically developing twin brother.  He is comfortable jumping in, going under water and paddling all around the pool.  We couldn’t be more thankful for Ben’s pride in his accomplishments, our peace of mind that he is safe, and how exhausted he is after a day of swimming.   Katie Gaughen – Sepac Board  Member 2016

Debbie has been teaching my son who is on the spectrum.  He had a lot of fear in the water.  She was able to gain his confidence and over the course of a few months and he became more comfortable in the water and now enjoys swimming in our pool and the ocean.  Debbie is very patient.  She knew she needed to gain his trust before he could actually learn how to swim.  Debbie is accommodating and very professional.  I highly recommend her to anyone with a child with autism.  Dr. Paresha Patel, MD

My 4 year old has Autism and we felt as though learning to swim would enhance his safety and also help develop his strength.  Just recently he began swimming independently.  His progress is entirely attributable to Debbie’s patient manner as well as her experience with and knowledge of teaching kids with autism.  As an educator, I recognize Debbie’s strengths as a teacher.  She blends enthusiasm with a calm demeanor that is essential for teaching kids with special needs.  Dale Rickerson

Our son has been swimming with Debbie for 4 months.  He is non-verbal and struggles to communicate.  We needed to ensure his safety around water.  Debbie has built a strong trust with Daniel and has helped him develop some confidence.  He has become a great swimmer thanks to Debbie’s patience and ability to teach children with autism.  Christine Steele

Our son loves swimming with Debbie!  She is very attentive to our son’s needs and mood.  She connected with him immediately building a great trust.  She is a very kind soft-spoken person.  You can tell Debbie enjoys working with children on the spectrum and knows how to get the best out of them.  Aidan looks forward to going swimming each week and it continues to be a very relaxing and positive experience. As parents of a special needs child we can breathe a little easier knowing our son is safe in the water. The Moroz Family

We cannot say enough good things about Autism Swim And Recreation.  Deb is very patient and understanding about Eric’s behaviors even when he tests limits.  Eric really has begun to acquire swim/safety skills. At first he was swimming with prop assistance and within a few weeks he was in the deep end swimming without assistance alongside Deb.  We are so proud of him.  Thanks Deb!  Deven Dewalt

Our son Edward enjoys swimming every week.  He has more confidence with swimming and wants to learn more.  He likes learning at his own pace and Debbie seems to really understand that.  He enjoys working with Debbie and has learned so much in such a short time.  What a positively wonderful experience!  Thank you again for all you do. Dennis and Joy Hennesey

Debbie has been the best swim instructor thus far with Deandre.  Deandre absolutely does not like to getting his face wet; however, with Debbie he is willing to put his face in the water and blow bubbles-this has been a major stride and a joy to observe.  I am confident he will continue making strides with Debbie’s assistance.  Paulette Sandiford

Our son John has participated in Debbie’s swim program for the past six weeks and it has been an overwhelmingly positive experience both skill-wise and enjoyable.  John loves the water but had no safety awareness.  In the past few months with Debbie he has learned so much!  Including feeling comfortable in the deep end of the pool, and starting to acquire swim skills. Given Debbie’s expertise and her kind and gentle approach with John we are very grateful to have her as his swim and safety teacher.  Eileen O’Rourke

We have had such a great experience with these swim lessons!  It is difficult to find this level of speacilized instruction for our son.  Debbie’s ability to understand and work with our son’s needs has been by far the most helpful swim instruction for him.   Jen Fitzgerald

This has been such a wonderful oppportunity for our son and our family. Every week with Debbie we watched Miles gain more confidence and develop into a safe swimmer. Debbie helped us with how to coach and practice with him outside of class. Our teamwork made the dreamwork! Much thanks to Debbie for your patience, undertanding and humor. Macqain Brockington

Debbie is the most experienced water-safety instructor I have ever met. She worked with our son (age 5 with Autism) in the most gentle and caring way which made him enjoy being in the pool. She learned very quickly my son’s learning style was not the “normal text book” style and she tailored his lessons for his pace and style. I am beyond appreciative for the level of professionalism and knowledge she exhibits for each child and each family. Sara Burns