In less than a week, three children with an autistic spectrum disorder (TSA) died drowned during outings, escaping the vigilance of supervisors.
On Sunday, an 11-year-old girl died in a leisure center in Seine-et-Marne. Two days earlier, a 7 -year -old boy died during an outing with his holiday center, near Moulins, in the Allier. And at the start of last week, an 11-year-old boy lost his life in Choisy-le-Roi, in Val-de-Marne, during an outing with his leisure center. Three separate dramas, but occurred in comparable circumstances: autistic children, collective outings in the leisure center and drowning.
What are the devices to accommodate autistic children in the leisure center?
Since the law of February 11, 2005 on disability, “ordinary” leisure centers have had the obligation to welcome all children, including those with a handicap. In parallel, specialized structures, which only welcome children with disabilities, exist, but remain in the minority, especially for autistic children.
“And it is not really a solution when we advocate inclusion,” emphasizes Danièle Langloys, president of the Autisme France association. For autistic children, it is positive to be with valid children. Autistic people with each other do not help, because they face the same difficulties, such as those of social interactions. »»
Despite the law, it happens that certain centers refuse to welcome disabled children, according to the manager. “The structures which choose to be inclusive and which welcome autistic children, I can only thank them. The problem is elsewhere and we must remain vigilant as a parent because it is possible that the structure is not adapted to needs, ”she says.
An essential suitable supervision
During the release in the Allier, the colony was “supervised by a team of eight people – a reinforced framework rate due to the presence of two children with disabilities,” said the municipality of Bobigny, which manages this colony.
The regulations set a supervisor for 12 children over 6 years old. But no text requires a special rate for children with specific needs. However, in some cases, it is essential to have an individualized follow -up, assures Danièle Langloys. “For children with severe disorders, the question should not be asked: the frame rate must be one for one. It cannot be otherwise. »»
For the president of Autism France, “we must not incriminate the centers”. “Children autistic people can escape the vigilance of anyone, even their parents, in record time,” she continues. They often have a deficit in understanding, attention disorders, sometimes hyperactivity and do not have the concept of danger. The instructions given to them cannot be received as for other children. Result: even with good will, supervisors can quickly be exceeded, especially if the rest of the group is agitated. »»
Financial aid, but limited
For Danièle Langloys, this is a question of means. To help the structures, the Family Allowance Fund has implemented since January 2024 a “handicap bonus”. The centers thus receive 4.50 euros per hour of reception and per child beneficiary of the AEEH (education allowance of the disabled child) to “compensate” additional costs linked to inclusion (additional staff, suitable material, specific organization).
But this aid remains insufficient, indicates the manager. “If a child with disabilities is welcomed in the leisure center, it will be necessary to take into account that it will be necessary to watch over him much more than on other children, who can themselves disturbing,” she explains. For her, the care is underestimated and it is partly due to a lack of knowledge and therefore, of training.
Almost absent training
The BAFA, the main training of animators, does not include a compulsory module on disability. Only trainees who choose this specialization are made aware of it. Consequence: most supervisors have no benchmarks on the specific needs of autistic children.
“They do not always know what to say or do, what to be attentive, nor what specific risks exist,” explains the president of Autisme France. The management of an autistic child in aquatic environment is particularly delicate: risk of leakage, panic, silent drowning. “Vigilance must be at all times,” she says. And to add: “Since this welcome is punctual, one cannot ask a animator to have the level of experience and expertise of a professional of a medico-educational institute, who knows the subject well, like a specialized educator. She then suggests having a referent animator on the issue of disability and the awareness of supporting animators.
Autistic children and water
The supervision of autistic children must be all the more important when leaving in aquatic circles, recalls Danièle Langloys. “An autistic child is in danger of imminent death approaching a water point, even if it is not to swim,” she points out. Indeed, the risk of accidental death by drowning is particularly high in autistic people. It would even be the leading cause of mortality in autistic children, according to France 3 which quotes an American study of 2017 which reveals that children carriers of TSA are 160 times more likely to drown than other children.
“They do not master the danger. For them, water is just an attractive environment, ”completes the president of the Autisme France association. Thus, they propose that the centers have specific equipment such as anti-noyad t-shirts to “limit risks”. It also underlines the importance of early swimming learning to autistic children, recalling, moreover, the national context of an increase in drownings this summer. But then again, the question of financially remains whole.
A public policy issue
For Danièle Langloys, these sad events question beyond made. “We will have to analyze carefully what happened. But in general, there is a fundamental problem on the reception of disabled people, leisure as on vacation, she notes. This is not the fault of the structures: they must have the means to properly accommodate these children, especially when it comes to severe disorders. »»
Our file on autism
It concludes: “The law guarantees inclusion. But without adapted supervision or compulsory training, security is not ensured. Children with disabilities must be able to benefit from the same experiences as others, insists the associative manager. It is still necessary to put behind the necessary budget. »»
