Autistic Children Afraid of Water Find Joy in Surfing

The first time Adam Genesta went surfing Wednesday, he had to be dragged literally kicking and screaming into the water.

The second time, he asked to go in. “It was so cool,” the 7-year-old from Laguna Beach said when it was over. “Goodbye fear!”

Adam was one of about 30 autistic youngsters, ages 4 to 10, who experienced the sometimes frightening exhilaration of riding the waves, many for the first time, at San Onofre State Beach near San Clemente. Some of the world’s most accomplished surfers were there to show them how, but none of the novices had a choice about whether to get wet.

“The issue is anxiety,” said Israel Paskowitz, director of San Clemente’s Paskowitz Surf Camp, which sponsored the three-hour event. “Even though they don’t want to go in,” he said, “they come out of the water completely relaxed. And a week later, they’re still talking about it.”

The idea for the summer events, Paskowitz said, grew out of his experiences with his own son, now 10, who is autistic. The neurological disorder affects a child’s language, speech, sensory perception and, in some cases, motor skills.

“I’d take him surfing and he always enjoyed it,” Paskowitz said. “It seemed like a natural thing to do. It had a nice calming effect; for a moment he’d be normal.”

Eventually, Paskowitz, himself a former champion surfer, started taking some of his friends’ autistic children for surfing adventures. Then, three years ago, he opened it to the larger community of families with autistic children.

“We think it’s good for them,” said Jennifer Tracy, director of Surfers Healing, the nonprofit organization that coordinates the events. “These kids are in their own little world. If we can bring them together to play, it’s a great thing.”

Parents see other major benefits as well. By being placed in a strong natural environment, they say, autistic children are forced--even if just for a short time--to exist in the real world. The experience often helps them develop motor and sensory skills. And, parents say, the result is often a boost in confidence and self-esteem.

“My son is very reluctant to try new things,” said Lee Ann Addison, who brought her 5-year-old boy, Timmy, to Wednesday’s event, the third this summer. “This helps him see that he can do things and still be OK. It develops self-worth.”

‘Good Day of Fun’

Lori Eyraud of San Clemente said she welcomes any opportunity to teach her children water safety. “When you live in a beach community,” she said, “you have to be safe.”

And Jill Holmen, of Aliso Viejo, said she brought her 4-year-old son, Anders, to the surfing event mainly for a rare day of relaxation in the sun.

“It’s just a good day of fun,” she said. “It’s a natural environment that really helps calm them down. These kids go through a lot of therapy each week. This is something that just lets them be kids.”

Eight experienced surfers took turns carefully shepherding the children to sea on long boards before racing each back in the surge of a swell. Though some screamed all the way out, most smiled during the long ride back.

Kelly Slater, a six-time world champion, had a theory as to why. “It’s a direct relationship with nature,” he said. “There is movement and power involved, natural forces that give them a thrill. Surfing is really exhilarating; it touches something deep in these children not affected by their disease.”