• What Is Swim Whisperers®?

• Who Should Consider Swim Whisperers?

• Why Consider Swim Whisperers For My Child?

• When and Where Does Angelfish Offer Swim Whisperers?

• How Much Do Lessons Cost? How Do I Sign My Child Up?

• Can I Learn To Teach Swimming Like the Swim Whisperers?

What is Swim Whisperers®?

Swim Whisperers is Angelfish Therapy’s swim instruction program aimed at all kinds of children, but particularly those who might experience limited or no success learning to swim through traditional methods. In short, the goal of Swim Whisperers is to turn any child into a confident and independent swimmer, no matter what their situation or condition is.

Who Should Consider Swim Whisperers?

The Swim Whisperers program was specially designed to cater to children with severe to mild sensory issues, problems with motor skills, difficulty processing information, attention issues, or any other condition that might physically or psychologically impede the process of learning to swim. In some cases, the obstacle may be something as simple as a child who is unwilling to put their head under water, or who is terrified to let go of the side of the pool.

Why Consider Swim Whisperers?

Every child should be an independent swimmer.  Besides the obvious physical fitness and social benefits that swimming provides, there are issues of water safety.  According to the Red Cross:  “About 3,500 Americans drown each year, averaging ten deaths per day. More than one in five fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger.“  Despite these sobering statistics, too many children are never taught to swim.  In some cases, this is because the process of teaching children with sensory or motor issues is simply too difficult for most instructors to handle.

The Swim Whisperers program was created by Ailene Tisser and Cindy Freedman, based on their more than 20 years of physical/occupational therapy experience — half of that time specializing as aquatic therapists.  After years of watching parents, caregivers, and swim instructors search for someone in their community who could go beyond aquatic therapy and teach their child to swim, they decided to tackle it themselves by combining their therapy experience to tease out the major sensory issues that interfere with acquisition of basic swim skills.

With Swim Whisperers, Ailene and Cindy have specially trained instructors to help your child overcome the most common obstacles encountered by those with a wide range of sensory processing and motor coordination issues.

They do this by focusing on 14 key areas:

When and Where Does Angelfish Offer Swim Whisperers?

Swim Whisperers classes are currently available in Connecticut and New York.  Below are the days and times that we currently have swim instructor coverage for each of the four pools that you’ll find us at this fall. If you haven’t already, please contact us to check on time availability, to make specific arrangements with an instructor, or to let us know if you need to make scheduling arrangements for days/times that aren’t listed here.

CONNECTICUT

NEW YORK

How Much Does It Cost?  How Do I Sign My Child Up?

Sessions are 30 minutes long, and the cost is as follows:

• $50 for a private session
• $40 for a semi-private session
• $35 for a group of three or four

All sessions will be billed at the end of the month, and payable within 30 days.  Stay tuned to the website or sign up for the newsletter to learn about occasional special discounts.

Can I Learn To Teach Swimming Like The Swim Whisperers?

Absolutely!  If you’re a swim instructor who sometimes works with children who have sensory processing or motor coordination difficulties — or would like to — then Swim Whisperers is the program you’ve been waiting for.  With one in 110 children diagnosed with autism, it is more imperative than ever that swim instructors expand their skill set to accommodate this ever-growing population.

Likewise, if you are the parent or caregiver of a child with these same issues, then you know how daunting and frustrating the process of teaching that child to swim can be.

That’s why we at Angelfish Therapy have devised a system of swim training that can help anyone educate themselves to address the specific issues most commonly seen in children with sensory or motor difficulties.

We’ve recently launched a Swim Whisperers DVD + Study Guide product that will give you — the parent or instructor — the tools you need to help your child or student become a confident and independent swimmer, by reducing the time and effort it takes that child to begin to swim, play, and enjoy the water as a leisure experience.

On February 11th in St. Petersburg FL and on March 17th in Colorado Springs CO, Angelfish Training will offer a day-long workshop to anybody interested in hands-on training from our experienced therapists, Cindy Freedman and Ailene Tisser, about Swim Whisperers methods.

Slots for these sessions are filling fast, so if you’re ready to learn, sign up soon!

Want hands-on training, but can’t make to one of our workshops?  If you’re a swim school with multiple instructors, then Cindy and Ailene are prepared to bring Swim Whisperers to your town for a special training workshop that caters to your specific needs.  Just reach out to us at AngelfishTherapy@gmail.com for more information.