Learning in the water: Lessons combine swimming and speech therapy

Jiraiya Grant, now 6, who is autistic and mostly nonverbal, took swim lessons last summer with Beck Hastings, a speech-language pathologist. Courtesy of Shainna Grant

Beckwick Hastings, a speech-language pathologist, works with a group of children during a swim lesson. Courtesy of Beckwick Hastings

Beckwith Hastings, a speech-language pathologist, works with a group of children during a swim lesson. Courtesy of Beckwith Hastings

Isabelle "Izzy" Jennings-Schwerkolt of Williamsburg, now 9, started lessons just before kindergarten in 2019. Izzy has apraxia, a motor speech disorder with which she understands language but has difficulty expressing it. Courtesy of Beckwith Hastings

Jiraiya Grant, now 6, who is autistic and mostly nonverbal, took swim lessons last summer with Beckwick Hastings, a speech-language pathologist. He is autistic and mostly nonverbal. Courtesy of Shainna Grant

Learning to speak is a struggle for Jiraiya Grant, who is autistic and mostly nonverbal. Playing in the swimming pool, on the other hand, is a joy.

Put the two together, and talking is not nearly as challenging for the 6-year-old.

By the end of Jiraiya's first lesson with Speech & Swim, a Peninsula-based program founded by speech-language pathologist and swimming instructor Beckwith Hastings, he had used the words "more," "spin" and "play" to ask for activities in the water.

"Jiraiya is very motivated in the pool," said Shainna Grant, Jiraiya's mother and a Williamsburg resident. "The water lights him up like nothing else, so being there gives him a huge incentive to say more words. It's been awesome to watch his progress."

Hastings, who is from Williamsburg, developed Speech & Swim in 2019 to help fill a gap in summer services for many students in speech therapy. As a lifeguard since high school, she is equally passionate about teaching pool safety and swimming skills to prevent drownings, especially after seeing some students with special behavioral or physical needs turned away from classes in the past.

Speech & Swim's private and small group lessons cover everything from how to reach for a pool wall for support to mastering tricky letter sounds such as "s," "r" and "l".

"Children learn best through play," Hastings said. "Swimming is a multisensory approach where natural language, speech sound and pragmatic skills are embedded into time spent having fun. The students gain confidence in and out of the water."

"Ms. Beck," as Hastings’ students call her, works with kids as young as 18 months and continues through adulthood. With a certification in adaptive swim, she can assist people with autism, anxiety, motor issues, sensory delays and other special needs.

Speech & Swim currently runs during the summer months at the Windsor Great Park Recreation Association pool in Newport News, but Hastings is looking for an indoor pool to host sessions during the offseason.

Hastings also recently expanded her swimming program into Hastings Family Therapy LLC, a private practice that teaches functional communication skills in varied settings beyond an office, such as libraries, playgrounds and restaurants.

In the pool, kids practice swimming strokes alongside language development, social and conversational skills and following directions. Hastings tailors each session based on a family's goals and the swimmer's interests; if a child loves dinosaurs, for example, she has inflatable dinosaur toys to swim toward.

While most students are local, a few families have traveled from Charlottesville and Maryland each summer. Speech & Swim also offers sensory pool parties — open to the public — and lessons for children without disabilities with instructor Sara Koeck, a rehab professional, lifeguard and swim coach.

Several families have signed their kids up every summer. Isabelle "Izzy" Jennings-Schwerkolt, of Williamsburg, now 9, started lessons just before kindergarten in 2019. Izzy has apraxia, a motor speech disorder with which she understands language but has difficulty expressing it.

Izzy had become reluctant to engage during in-office speech therapy, said her mother, Jennifer Jennings-Schwerkolt. But as she relaxed in the water and gained self-confidence, going from barely putting her face underwater to jumping off the diving board, she made similarly rapid progress in her communication skills.

"If Izzy doesn't think she is good at something, she can shut down," Jennings-Schwerkolt explained. "She went from being a shy and passive participant to being a friend helping others in the class. She also saw that she wasn't alone; other kids had similar struggles."

And, as Izzy sums it up: "I get to swim. They don't have a swimming pool at the office."

Safety is another constant focus. Many children are drawn to water but don't have the awareness or impulse control to navigate its dangers, Hastings said.

Speech & Swim's efforts include Infant Swimming Resources, or ISR, a program that educates parents on drowning prevention and teaches young swimmers basic survival skills, such as rolling onto their backs to rest, breathe and wait for help.

Jiraiya's parents once never took their hands off him in the water. Now, he knows how to pull himself out of the pool, understands deep versus shallow areas and can kick his legs to move around. He's going back this summer for more instruction.

"We can allow him to have a little more freedom now, which he enjoys so much," Shainna Grant said. "The thought of him actually swimming is just so exciting."

Jiraiya likely couldn't have followed directions in a "regular" swimming class, she added. Hastings is good at reading his nonverbal cues, such as trying to pull her in a desired direction or pushing on her arms to get a lift that he wants. She asks him to use words instead.

"He responds so well to her," Grant said. "We can't wait for summer."

Neither can Hastings.

"This program combines my passions in helping others through speech and swimming," she said. "It is truly amazing to see the progress in such a short amount of time. I am incredibly blessed."

Want to know more?

To learn more about upcoming Speech & Swim programs and events, visit speechandswim.com; email [email protected]; or call 804-384-0919. Sessions currently are held at the Windsor Great Park Recreation Association pool, located at 701 Balthrope Road in Newport News.

Alison Johnson, [email protected]

Follow Us