Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40237850›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026

Parent Perspectives on Water Safety for Children with Autism.

Barbara D Cosart, Karla A Lawson, Stewart R Williams, Kayla Elisabeth Lewis, Rashidah Namutebi, Molly B Johnson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Staying Afloat: A Scoping Review of the Literature on Adapted Swim Instruction.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Barbara D CosartTrauma Services, Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1457-5572
Karla A LawsonTrauma and Injury Research Center, Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1408-6787
Stewart R WilliamsTrauma Services, Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5293-0141
Kayla Elisabeth LewisSchool of Health Sciences, Regis College, Weston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-0244-4862
Rashidah NamutebiSchool of Health Sciences, Regis College, Weston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2681-3008
Molly B JohnsonTrauma and Injury Research Center, Dell Children's Medical Center, Austin, TX, USA. molly.johnson2@ascension.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9333-3020

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Among children with autism, drowning is the leading cause of death through 14 years old. Attributes such as wandering, sensory issues, impulsivity, and a limited sense of danger could increase risk. In addition, autistic children often have trouble participating in structured group activities like swimming lessons. The purpose of this study is to better understand water safety experiences of parents of children with autism. Parents of autistic children were asked to participate in a focus group about their family's water safety experiences. Six focus groups and one interview were held. Six major themes were identified from transcripts that were common among participants: autism characteristics influence water safety risk; water safety fears influence family life; it is difficult to find and access water safety and swimming lesson information for children with autism; autism characteristics affect participation in swimming lessons and other aquatic activities; autistic children have unique swimming lesson needs; and instructor preparedness is key to swimming lesson success for autistic children. Water safety needs to be elevated in importance for families of autistic children. Information on drowning risk and prevention should be made more accessible. Barriers to adaptive swimming lessons such as cost, scheduling, and availability need to be addressed. More training opportunities need to be provided to swimming instructors to improve teaching children with complex needs, such as those with autism.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderDrowningParentsSafetySwimmingAdolescentAdultChildFemaleFocus GroupsHumansMaleAutismDrowningSwimming lessonsWater safety

Identifiers

PMID40237850
PMCPMC13427885

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.