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Surfers Healing Brings Joy to Children With Autism

Photo of a man and child surfing

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Husband and wife Israel “Izzy” Paskowitz and Danielle Paskowitz co-founded Surfers Healing in 1996, when they saw how soothing surfing was for their son Isaiah.

When Isaiah was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Izzy struggled to find ways to connect with his son. As a professional surfer, Izzy was ecstatic when he discovered that surfing was both calming and empowering for Isaiah.

The Paskowitzes attribute Isaiah’s enjoyment of surfing to the way the sensation of buoyancy disrupts the effects of overstimulation.

“There’s something powerful about the weightlessness of floating, the lightness of riding a wave,” Izzy said.

The Paskowitzes believed other children with autism could also benefit from surfing, and if the past 26 years of free, one-day surf camps, support from the international surf community and the ever-growing “Autism Ohana” are any indicators of success, it certainly seems they were right.

Isaiah was not alone.

Many children with autism experience sensory overload, which can be upsetting and painful.

“You know when you’re sick, you kind of get that prickly feeling and you don’t want to be touched? Well, some kids feel like that all the time,” says Nancy Morris, local occupational therapist and one of the founding members of the Folly Beach chapter of Surfers Healing.

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Having experiences like a beach day, full of sensations that are likely to lead to overstimulation, is important for children with autism, but, because it can be difficult for family members to anticipate how their child will respond, many avoid the beach entirely.

“It’s just too much for the families sometimes,” says Nancy Hussey, director of Surfers Healing Folly. “People stare at them and then all the stuff to carry. It’s really a lot.” Which is something Hussey admits she hadn’t considered prior to learning about Surfers Healing.
“In the world of autism, Surfers Healing Day is better than Christmas,” says Nicole Dantzler whose son, Gabriel, was diagnosed with ASD at 3 years old.

“Our kids aren’t in typical sports. They don’t get medals. Gabe doesn’t get to play softball,” Dantzler added.

Luckily, Gabe’s speech therapist knew about Surfers Healing and offered to take Dantzler and Gabe.

“She said, ‘He’s gonna cry but I’m here with you,’” Dantzler recalled.

Gabriel is a teenager now, and according to his mother, the trio hasn’t missed a single year since. “To this day she walks him down to the water,” Dantzler said about the speech therapist. “She’s not his therapist anymore and she still wants to be a part of that.”

Looking Back
In 2007, Hussey was the director of the Southern South Carolina District of the Eastern Surfing Association when she was approached about bringing Surfers Healing to Folly Beach.

After hearing the personal experience of one family that had participated in a Surfers Healing Day Camp at another beach, Hussey was convinced. The first Surfers Healing Day Camp at Folly Beach was in August 2008. There were 100 participants and 101 volunteers.

Now Surfers Healing has to cap the number of participants for the day at 225 children; meanwhile, the number of volunteers has quadrupled to over 400 people helping with transportation, check-in, photography, and ensuring all the families have everything they need for a great day at the beach.

“Even the mayor and first lady greet every family as they come down the walkway,” said Hussey. “It’s like the town just shuts down for Surfers Healing, to help the families.”

It’s not only the local community coming together to support Surfers Healing. Professional surfers from all over the world make their way to Folly Beach every year to participate.

“But not every good surfer can take out a child with autism,” Hussey explained.

“In addition to being at the top of their sport, the pro surfers must also have experience working with children with autism. They’ve got to be able to not just surf,” said Morris. “They are literally lifting kids up.”

Each participant has a 30-minute time slot so the professional surfers must be able to quickly understand the unique needs of their assigned participants in order to have the largest impact and keep the child secure while on the board. Each year there are occupational therapists and behavioral therapists that volunteer to make sure the surfers and participants have all of the support they need, but once on the board, the pro surfer is the expert.

“You’ve got kids that may be screaming or crying going out, but then, sitting there on the board with their surfer, just feeling those calm waves when you’re way out past where they’re going to break, all of a sudden you don’t see them crying,” Morris explained.

“They’re just sitting there chilling and talking. Even if it’s a nonverbal kid, that kid is listening. Whatever they may be doing they’re bonding out there.”

It is exciting for Folly Beach to host big names like Garrett McNamara, who set the world record for surfing the biggest wave, and Kelly Slater, Hall of Fame inductee and 11-time World Champion.

According to Hussey, those surfing celebrities are only interested in being there to support the children and their families. “They just want to know that the kids are having a good time, and they bond with them.”

The day camp will take place on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.
Registration begins online on Monday, April 29 and closes Friday, May 3.

Spaces are limited and children that cannot be guaranteed a surf slot will be added to a waitlist.

By Kimberly St. John

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