Beauty of Water

Water – an excellent tool in the desensitization of an autistic child. It can change temperature, be filled with bubbles, and create sounds (bubbling, flowing in creeks and rivers, the “plunking” sound of rocks). The level can be adjusted up (swimming) or down (a glass full). Items tossed into the water sink or float. Sound changes underwater. All fascinating qualities to any young child. Qualities especially fascinating to the autistic child.

Matt knew the sound of water. It drew him like a duck to, well . . .water. He loved it. Give him a glass of water and sit back – the experiments were about to begin. Small toys, like Lego blocks, would be dropped into the glass. Squinting, his head turned to the side, he would watch the item fall to the bottom out of the corners of his eyes. Sometimes Matt would climb onto the counter, get a glass himself, fill it and drop a toy, “plunk”, into the water.

As I have mentioned before, Matt has always loved trajectories and water was a great tool in his discoveries. He would come running when someone turned on the water, be it a sink or a tub or a hose. He watched the water flow and would throw his hands in to feel the power of the stream. If the water was running in the tub he would hurriedly remove his clothing, a flurry of movement that left behind items of clothing from his room to the bathroom. I would have to catch him before he hit the tub to slow him down. He had no concerns over slippery wet floors, but I did. Matt didn’t appear to feel pain during this stage and he could have injured himself without our knowledge if we weren’t careful.

Bubbles were an added bonus, but not required. As he got a little older he would first find a toy, or several toys, to take with him to the tub. Matt was always eager for bath-time. Toys were submerged and watched intently as bubbles of air scrambled to the surface. He studied the above water phenomena first; floating, sinking, bubbles, the sound of water displacement each time a toy was dropped. After his repeated above water observations, he would make under water observations. He hated water on his face, but allowed his ears to dip beneath the surface. Experiments in the physics of sound-waves came next as he lay on his back, listening.

Sound changes underwater. The sounds of voices are muffled and annoying background sounds are eliminated. Matt focused on the physics of water just as he had focused on the physics of gravity. He would study the problem through observation, then experiment. He would lie in the tub, the water creeping over him until it reached his ears. Slowly, he would submerse them. The sounds decreased, some sounds, I am sure, were eliminated altogether. The lowering of the noise level was always a welcome relief for him.

Many autistic children have sensory overload. Everything comes into the brain at the same level, no background noise – all fore-front noise. I can’t imagine the stress. How terrible to have to deal with so much sound! Water provided a much desired filter. If he could only see underwater, his observations would be complete. He needed a face mask and snorkel.

Summer brought heat and humidity and the purchase of a small-pool, the kind adults buy to soak their feet. Matt could lay in it for almost an hour before emerging as a prune. When we purchased a face mask and a snorkel his life took a new turn – the underwater experience! After placing the face mask just so and tightening the rubber head band, he slowly bent toward the surface. No leaks! Yep, this will work just fine.

He spent as much time peering underwater as could stand before rising up to take a breath. The snorkel was next. He practiced breathing in and out in the safety of the air before testing it under the water. Yep, this will work too.

He became a pool junky. Jump in, splash around a bit, then down to business. He brought toys with him, items that would sink, so he could follow their trail as they cut through the water and rested on the bottom. Such a little scientist! Hmm…Time for a bigger pool.

We purchased one of those large pools that require a filter and separate lining. The blue of the water called out on those hot summer days and the kids all headed for the ladder. The other kids would jump from the ladder and splash around, followed by a brief dive beneath the surface. They battled each other with smacks of their palms on the surface, aiming the splash toward their intended victim. Matt could only play this game if his face mask was on, but he would try to play. As the other children, tired of the water games, crawled out shivering, Matt was left with the pool to himself. Now the interesting stuff could begin. More room to move, less sound and activity. This is what really thrilled him, as now he could explore the bottom without legs everywhere. He stayed just enough above the water to watch the item in his hand be released then softly sank to witness the trajectory of the item to the bottom.

His love of lines and motion were satiated in water. He could see the patterns without squinting or turning his head. He could watch from a full-frontal point of view and actually see the trail as it emerged. Not every item dropped in a straight line. Some meandered their way down, swishing left or right, creating beautiful patterns in the filtered light. I know, because my own curiosity led me to watch underwater as his experiments took place. Having no mask or snorkel forced me to the surface for air, but I would repeatedly go under until I saw what he saw.

Over the years the other kids became interested in retrieving items from the bottom of a pool too. Hotel pools were the best – plenty of room, various levels of depth. It evolved into a family game. Toss a coin and retrieve it from the bottom. Of course, Matt had to watch the trajectory, the actual motion of the coin as it sank, but other than that he played the game with us, after all, we had chosen to enter his world.

Autistic children may have their drawbacks in communication and social skills, but they are deep thinkers with analytical minds – at least I know this to be true for Matt. The amount of time devoted to inquiry is astounding, yet many people just can’t see it. They don’t see past the odd behaviors to simply ask themselves “Why”. To truly reach an autistic child you first have to be open to discovery. There was nothing wrong in Matt’s ability to think – actually I considered his brain to be working overtime.

In entering Matt’s world I discovered more about the world around me. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To Matt, a meandering line through the water back-lit by the sun was a beautiful thing to behold.

I couldn’t agree more.