Get in the game

SWIMMING

Asphalt Green, Upper East Side
Aut/Dev/Phys; ages 4 to 12
Children of all ability levels can learn to swim here in group lessons or one-on-one. The 50-meter pool is equipped with two hydraulic-lift chairs, and the warm-water pool has an adjustable floor that makes it easy to lower kids with paraplegia or cerebral palsy into the water. John Ordover of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, was amazed by what his six-year-old, who has autism, learned. “We go up to a lake on weekends, and now Arren actually swims. We pop one of those inner tubes around his waist and he takes off!” says Ordover. “At first the notion of floating free terrified him, but the instructors got him over that. They’re used to dealing with kids who are scared.” $406 for 14 beginner group sessions; one-on-one lessons $60 each. 555 E 90th St between York and East End Aves (212-369-8890, asphaltgreen.org)

JCC, Upper West Side Aut/Dev; ages 5 to 12
This Monday drop-off class takes children with various cognitive impairments. (At the JCC, children with physical disabilities tend to be integrated into mainstream classes.) Tykes are divided into small groups with swimmers of similar ability. “The low ratio of kids to teachers meant that my daughter was getting very close supervision. The instructor was able to really get to know her, and her strengths and weaknesses,” says Sarah Birnbaum, whose daughter has a PDD-NOS diagnosis. $380 for members, $550 for nonmembers for a 10-week session. 334 Amsterdam Ave at 76th St (646-505-4444, jccmanhattan.org)

Rainbow Fish at Camp Olympia, BrooklynAut; ages 5 to 12
Adults dive in, too, at this program for kids with autism or autism-like symptoms. “The grown-up facilitates the learning process. That way, the next time you’re on vacation, you’ll know what to do in the water with your child,” says Tracey Jindyeh, a special educator and aquatics enthusiast who helped create the program. $110 for an eight-week session. John Jay High School, 237 Seventh Ave at 5th St, Park Slope (718-748-7084, campolympiany.com)

SNACK Swim and Sports, Midtown East
All; ages 3 to 13
Children taking one-on-one swimming lessons through SNACK—the Special Needs Activity Center for Kids—get the run of the entire heated pool at St. Bart’s Church every Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and Sunday morning. (Parents and siblings can take a dip, too, on Sundays during family swim.) Tots with all disabilities are welcome; most of the children who attend are on the autistic spectrum. “We have kids who don’t want to put their feet in the water, and by the end they’re swimming,” says Mary Jane Pulzello, director of operations at SNACK. $55 for a 30-minute private swim lesson, $35 for the 45-minute family swim. St. Bartholomew’s Church, 109 E 50th St between Park and Lexington Aves (212-439-9996, snacknyc.com)

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