The Help Group is pleased to announce its Camp Discovery and Kids Like Me summer day camps, which provide a fun and exciting recreational camp experience for children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Designed to encourage social and emotional growth, our camps are led by highly trained and professional staff who ensure campers will learn, make friends and have a great time!

WHAT: Camp Discovery is an outdoor day camp for kids ages 3 to 14 with mild to moderate special needs that has a 1:3 staff/child ratio. Psychotherapists, along with speech, occupational and music therapists consult with counselors to develop goals and interventions that enable campers to enjoy daily routines and activities in a language-rich and socially supportive setting. Small groups of campers engage in a developmentally appropriate and exciting program that includes music, arts & crafts, nature activities, games, sports, theme days and more.

Kids Like Me: Village Glen Camp is a highly specialized social skills camp for kids 3 to 15 with Asperger’s Disorder or high-functioning autism. It is designed to facilitate peer interaction and fun social learning opportunities to foster meaningful friendships for children and teens. A counselor-in-training leadership program is available for teens 15 to 18.

Kids Like Me: Camp Sunshine offers an opportunity for kids and teens ages 5 to 18 with autism and other developmental disabilities to experience summer fun with friends in a safe and enriching camp environment.

Kids Like Me: Teens on the Go! This unique social skills camp is designed especially for teens, ages 15 to 18, with Asperger’s Disorder and high-functioning autism, featuring daily trips, tours and activities throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

WHEN: All camps run in weekly sessions from August 9 through 27. Costs vary by camp and schedule. Please visit www.thehelpgroup.org or call (877) 943-5747 for detailed information.

WHERE: Village Glen Camp and Camp Sunshine meet at The Help Group’s Sherman Oaks Campus, 13130 Burbank Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91401

Teens on the Go! meets at The Help Group’s Culver City Campus, 4160 Grand View Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90066. Free transportation for San Fernando Valley residents to and from the camp will be provided at The Help Group’s Sherman Oaks campus.

Camp Discovery meets at the Temescal Canyon Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades

The Panhandle Autism Society will be hosting a summer camp for teens on the autism spectrum from August 2 – 26, 2010. The camp website states that there are still five spots left for this camp so if you have a teen in the Coeur d’Alene area on the autism spectrum that wants to get some great social skills development training, Camp Connect Teens may be the ideal camp.

The camp will run from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at the Panhandle Autism Society Facility at 1323 E. Sherman Avenue Suite E. The camp is for teens aged 13-18 and the fee is $160. For more information, contact the society at 208-704-3698.

Many children on the autism spectrum have extreme difficulties with transitions. This can be a simple transition such as moving from one activity to another or a more significant transition like school letting out for the summer. When parents plan ahead and schedule summer activities for their child, the transition out of school and into the less structured summer time can be easier for all involved.

Extended School Year (ESY)
Some children that have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) may qualify for Extended School Year (ESY) services. While some school districts may offer ESY services for all of their students with autism, others require that a student qualify for the extended school year.

School districts look at a variety of things when considering whether the child qualifies for ESY including (but not limited to) the severity of the child’s disability or impairment, whether the child is likely to regress, and if the child has new or emerging skills at the end of the school year.

Summer Camps
Attending either a day or sleep away summer camp is a tradition for children of all ages and abilities. While some children on the autism spectrum may be able to attend a traditional summer camp, some children require more supports and services. Thankfully, there are many summer camps that focus on children with autism, neurodevelopmental disorders, and other special needs.

The autism summer camp offerings are quite varied – from a free surfing camp in locations around the United States to camps that focus on teaching a child how to ride a bike. National organizations like the Easter Seals often sponsor themed camps. Another resource in finding local camps is to check with the local chapter of the Autism Society of America (ASA). While the ASA might not sponsor the camps, the organization may have a list of local summer camps that can meet the needs of children on the autism spectrum.

Social Skills Groups
As with anything, practice makes perfect. This holds true for learning social skills as well. Enrolling a child in a summer social skills group is a great way for the child to continue to practice his social skills over the summer break.

Some social skills groups are made up of only children on the autism spectrum while others have typically developing peers join in as role models. Regardless of the group makeup, attending a social skills group will provide a structured learning activity for children during the summer break.

Extended school year services, autism summer camps, and organized social skills groups are three ways that parents can provide structure for their child with autism over the summer break. Once the summer is coming to an end, read the Autism Back to School Checklist for ideas on easing the transition from summer back into the school year.

This article was originally published on Suite101.com on April 21, 2009.

Dragonfly Forest in Pennsylvania will be offering two separate summer camp sessions dedicated to children on the autism spectrum. The first session is a traditional camp that runs from June 21 – June 25, 2010. The second is a series of autism day camps that runs from July 5 – July 8, 2010. Both camps are for children on the autism spectrum between the ages of 7 and 14.

The Clubhouse Centers in Arizona has announced four uniquely themed summer camp options for children on the autism spectrum. Camp sessions run for either four or eight weeks and begin on June 7, 2010 and run through July 29, 2010. Sessions are held Monday through Thursday and both AM and PM sessions are available.

Camp Move & Groove
Occupational and physical therapists have joined forces to create a fun movement-based summer camp opportunity for children aged 3 – 12. Participants will work on motor planning, sensory integration, core strength, and coordination by participating in a fun obstacle course, rock climbing, jumbling, karate, dancing, and much more.

Camp Chit Chat
Speech pathologists and music therapists will be working together to provide campers aged 3 – 12 with a fun language-based camp experience. Students will work on pragmatic language, friendships, problem solving, and conversational speech.

Camp Reading Rocks
Children between the ages of 5 and 12 can participate in this fun language-based program facilitated by speech pathologists and music therapists.

Camp Write On
Occupational therapists will facility fun activities that will help children aged 5 – 10 improve their fine motor control, coordination, core strength, and posture. These activities will ultimately improve your child’s handwriting.

For more information about these summer camp opportunities in Phoenix, Arizona call The Clubhouse at 602-368-8601.

Camp Caglewood is a Georgia-based summer camp program for individuals with special needs. In addition to providing supervised fun for children and adults on the autism spectrum, the camp also helps meet the needs of children with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Camp Caglewood already has several events planned for 2010.

• Okefenokee Swamp – April 9 – 11, 2010
• Stone Mountain Park – May 21 – 23, 2010
• Unicoi State Park – June 25 – 27, 2010
• White Water Rafting – August 6 – 8, 2010
• Appalachian Trail at Amicalola State Park – September 25 – 26, 2010
• Brass Town Bald – November 5 – 7, 2010

For more information on participating in one of these events, call Caglewood at (678) 405-9000.

The 2nd annual Camp Runamuk will be held from October 9-12 in Prescott, Arizona. Camp Runamuk is a family camp and the fees include one room per family, eight meals, snacks, and all on-site activities. The fee schedule is as follows:

• Family of 2 – $454
• Family of 3 – $639
• Family of 4 – $796
• Family of 5 – $925
• Ea add’l family member – $175/ea

Families will get the total camp experience from bunk beds to campfires, for 4 days and 3 nights while they participate in family and individual activities all geared for campers with special needs, their siblings, and parents. At night, each family will turn in to their own room in a suite-style log cabin, each complete with its own bathroom and shower.

For more information, download the following PDF files…

Camp Runamuk 2009 Flyer
Camp Runamuk 2009 Application
Camp Runamuk 2009 Camper Information Form

While many of the autism camps that I feature here on the Autism Education Site are more of your traditional summer camps, this one is quite a bit different. Cheryl Fudge Designs will be hosting a fashion camp for children over the age of six that are on the autism spectrum. The camp will be held at 4pm on 6/30/09, 4pm on 7/8/09, 10am on 7/25/09, 10am 8/8/09, and 4pm on 8/26/09. Each camp will last one hour and there is no registration fee. Children may attend one or all of the camps. To register, contact Kim Horyn, Director, Nantucket Autism Speaks Resource Center, khoryn@autismspeaks.org, 646-341-3043.

The summer camp session sponsored by the Open Doors Center in Arizona will be held at the New Vision Center in Scottsdale from June 22-26. The fee for the week-long day camp is $200 with a $25 deposit due tomorrow, June 12.

Hands-On Expeditionary Summer Camp

What: For kids ages 8-12, all kinds of learners including Gifted, Twice Exceptional, and even “Reluctant” learners by Certified teachers from the Open Doors Center
Date: June 22-26, Monday-Friday
Time: 9:00AM-1:00PM
Themes:

• Monday – Going Green
• Tuesday – Inventions
• Wednesday – Stars and Planets
• Thursday – Theatre
• Friday-Celebration

Place: 9659 N. Hayden, Scottsdale 85258
Space Provided by New Vision Center
Fee: $200 (deposit of $25 due by June 12)
Contact: Terry at 623-703-3452 opendoorscenter@gmail.com