Epinions.com - July 4, 2001
Choosing a camp for special needs kids

The Bottom Line It is best to plan ahead and research the camps early so the transition from school to camp goes smoothly.

This past week my six-year old son started a day camp for autistic kids from the ages of five through twelve. I have been on the waiting list for two years now and received a call a few weeks ago notifying me that there were three spots open this year so I had to act fast. I was also informed that twenty-two families wanted to get their child into those spots.

Here in Los Angeles there are local parenting magazines that publish monthly with their annual camp guide listing. Exceptional Parent magazine lists camp details pertaining to many disabilities, special needs and illnesses. They can be located at http://www.eparent.com. There are numerous groups under yahoo that are geared toward the special needs community. Here parents will share experiences and discuss what options are available for their children. You can begin a search at http://groups.yahoo.com and look under http://clubs.yahoo.com. At any of these locations you might benefit from past experiences and learn which camps to avoid or enroll your child in.

In the State of California they have twenty-one regional centers that serve individuals with or at risk for, developmental disabilities. They are private non-profits that work under contract with the State Government. There are a number of disabilities they cover including Mental Retardation, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Epilepsy. This link is the Directory of the Regional Center system according to the county you reside in, http://www.dds.cahwnet.gov/regctrs/main/rclist.cfm.

More than likely the regional center would either fund the camp, reimburse you or pay a portion of the cost. Each week the coordinators submit proposals for funding, and by the next business day you will know if your request has been approved. It might help to know which day the regional center does the funding so your request will get there prior to that business day. In our case the camp cost $1200 with the regional center funding the entire cost.

For those who reside in the State of New Jersey there is an organization there called COSAC, The New Jersey Center for Outreach & Services for the Autism Community, Inc. They have a directory that includes every state with numbers to get services for disabilities. There is also a guide for schools and camps for the State of New Jersey and upon request can send for other states as well. The website is located at http://members.aol.com/njautism. The toll-free number for residents of New Jersey is 1-800-4-AUTISM, and outside the state is 1-609-883-8100.

When choosing a camp for a child who has special needs you will find many that are for all disabilities or based on the specific disability the child has. There is an age requirement usually beginning at five or six plus the child must be toilet trained. When I first made inquiries both my children were still in diapers but I was able to get on the waiting list since they were in the age group.

The class size and teacher to child ratio changes as the children get older so for the six-year olds they might have more assistants in their class than the ten-year olds. If your child needs special apparatus to function in a classroom that would have to be taken into consideration. Are medications going to be dispensed and who is qualified to handle this task. Are meals or snacks provided and what is the time frame for serving breakfast or lunch.

For many children with disabilities and/or special needs they need consistency so keeping the same schedule as they do in the home or regular school is important to adhere to. This was one of the negatives for my son when choosing the camp he is at but the cost not being an issue I decided to enroll him anyway. For a child with special needs many are in Special Education and have an IEP (Individual Education Plan). At this camp I had to fill out goals for social, math, pre-academic and other areas for the camp to work on for the six-weeks he will be attending. You can implement the same goals listed in the IEP to get a jump on the summer for maintaining consistency.

My son has not had his IEP this year due to the three-year annual assessments so I met with his teacher prior to the end of school and asked about goals for the camp session. We also have year-round schools with the summer consisting of only three weeks of intersession. I decided the six-week camp session was beneficial to his maintaining his skills acquired during the school year.

Since I only had about two days to make my decision on whether my son would attend the camp and get back to the Director I asked about the field trips and if my other son and I could accompany them. I was happy to learn that we can attend as long as I pick up the cost of the two of us plus I am solely responsible for my other son. It was suggested since there was a waiting list that my son would have to attend all six weeks and not do four weeks and then take a vacation.

Since lunch is not provided I inquired as to what other kids have brought in the past and the Director gave me some ideas on what to pack plus there is a refrigerator and microwave. I prefer to bring lunchables and yogurt or sandwiches as opposed to having another person microwave something and assist my son with his lunch.

During the school year my son gets the school lunch, so this is now an additional cost to make the purchases. The IEP lists trying new foods with the help of the teacher so I am hoping he will not lose the strides he gained this past year in those goals. There is a notebook that goes back and forth from the camp to the parent with notations of the day and items the parent might want to mention. This is exactly what the special education teacher implemented this past year.

Depending on the speech skills of the child there are other forms of communication that can be utilized and this classroom they are in for the camp session has the cards listed under each campers name outlining the day. There was a open house the day before camp started to meet the teacher and assistants plus see the classroom and how the day is categorized.

I decided this was another opportunity for my son to meet other kids as well as us maybe establishing relationships with other families who have a child with the same disability and form lasting friendships. It is my hope that possibly next year my other son would be going as long as an opening becomes available.

I observed the teacher and assistants with other kids and they seemed knowledgeable in handling autistic kids with behavior problems and during tantrums. I plan on telling other parents about this camp so they can get on the waiting list for their children.

The hours of the camp also should be taken into consideration and since they are about the same amount of time as the coming school year but starting a little later in the morning. My son fell asleep on the way home his first day of camp and the notations in the notebook said he helped when they had their cooking session and enjoyed the walk to the post office.

Although I chose a camp specifically for autistic kids I still send my children to the regular special day class on the school campus as opposed to a special autism school. I feel this helps meet children of all backgrounds and helps build lasting friendships throughout the entire year.

Another resource to look for camps for children with disabilities is the American Camping Association, http://search.acacamps.org/search.html. Two more locations to find camp listings would be http://www.kidscamps.com and http://www.azcentral.com.

I made a list of the pros and cons for this camp and even though there is the added cost of gasoline in driving as well as purchasing food for lunch I felt the benefits outweighed these two financial obstacles. It might be too late now for a child to be enrolled in a summer camp but you can still check into them and ask parents about the experiences and apply for the waiting list.

When we were at the open house we went to the boys room so my son could check it out, turns out another family was doing the same thing. My son was startled by the toilet flushing on its own and could not figure out how to get the faucet to turn on. The facility the camp is housed is automatic, so I mentioned to the teacher my son would need assistance with the faucet and getting the paper towel.

To recap some of the questions to ask when inquiring about the camp are:

1. Teacher to child ratio – plus assistants and volunteers
2. Medications – who dispenses, where are they kept
3. Communication devices – do they have or do you bring
4. Cost and reimbursement avenues – insurance
5. Hours – how many breaks, rest periods
6. Goals – how are they implemented
7. Field trips – how do they get there, safety issues
8. Emergency information – releasing of child
9. Therapists – do they have any on staff
10. Clothing – bring bathing suits
11. Toileting – what specifics they need to know
12. Eating – any allergy problems
13. Sunscreen – my sons shoulders were red
14. Time outs, tantrums, behavior issues - how handled
15. Toys/books – can you bring them from home

Hopefully these ideas and tips I have incorporated from choosing a camp suitable for my autistic son will come in handy and benefit those who seek a camp for their special child as well.