Solly’s schedule is filled with endless therapies and doctors appointments, sometimes up to 4 appointments a day. Last week, I think we hit an all-time appointment record with 15 appointments in one week! While we’ve adjusted his therapies to try and have as many “fun” therapies as possible and Solly generally comes out of each appointment with a big ol’ smile on his face, I still sometimes worry that he’s missing out on typical toddler fun activities. I find myself wondering, how can I get my special needs kiddo involved in something that other kids his age or of his ability might be interested in that isn’t therapy?

Enter: the Nashville Dolphins.

The Nashville Dolphins is a wonderful (and free!) program for children and adults with special needs. We heard about the Nashville Dolphins within a couple of months of moving to Nashville and I immediately got Solly on the waitlist. In the Fall of 2016, after a 6 month wait, we were able to register him for his first semester of swimming lessons. While the program relies on volunteers and might not get the same results as one-on-one private lessons, it does provide a fun outlet for both Solly and his volunteer swim instructors. They work on having him kick in the water, hold his breath and go under water, and stretch out his hand and swim to the wall. Solly has a smile plastered to his face the entire half hour session. It has been the best outlet for him!

Tonight, Solly will start his fourth semester of swim classes with the Dolphins and we can’t wait!