MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – Doctors are sharing a warning of a high-risk community susceptible to drowning.
Dr. Stephanie Radu with Grand Strand Medical Center said that kids with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than children who are not on the spectrum.
Radu said all three drowning deaths documented in their emergency department this summer have been non-verbal children with autism.
“We have seen a significant reduction overall, but the kiddos that we have had drownings in have been in populations with special needs, unfortunately, between the ages of 3 to 5,” said Radu.
She said kids under age 1 usually drown in tubs and toilets, kids ages 1-4 in pools, and kids over the age of 4 usually drown in larger open bodies of water.
Before you go to the beach, Radu said buying your child a bright colored bathing suit and a U.S. Coast Guard-certified life jacket could save their life …
