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Camps
Sending your child to camp can be a great experience for your child and you. Your child will get the opportunity to practice social skills, make friends and gain self-confidence through independence. For you it can mean having a little time to yourself or extra time with other family members.
Depending on your child, you can choose a camp designed just for kids with special needs or a mainstream camp where your child will be with kids who have no special needs. You can also decide if you would like your child to attend a day camp or one that is offered overnight. Once those decisions are made, you can take certain steps to ensure that both you and your child feel comfortable about going to camp.1
Locate a service provider
Questions To Ask The Camp Provider:
- What experience do the camp guides have working with individuals on the autism spectrum?
- What is the teacher to child ratio-assistants/volunteer?
- How long is the camp?
- How are behavior issues handled?
- How are medications dispensed?
- Do you have a pool or lake? Discuss your child's swimming abilities.
- Do you have a therapist on duty?
- What is the background of those working with the children and what types of background checks have been done?
- What is the cost? Are there “scholarships” available?
- Many camps don't allow direct contact between parent and child while the camp is in session — they do this to help the campers stay focused on their activities. This can be a daunting prospect for parents of kids with special needs, which is why it's important that you figure out, ahead of time, how you'll get information about your child's status. You can ask: ”Will the camp call me with updates?” “How can I contact the camp counselor to see how my child is doing?” “How can my child contact me…can he/she write letters?” “What if my child becomes very upset and wants to come home?”
- Do you go on field trips? If so how do you get there? How many staff will go along? How do you account for the children to make sure no one has wandered off?
- How do you handle emergency situations? Is everyone trained in CPR and first aid? 2
- If you or your child is intimidated by the thought of attending an overnight camp, you may consider starting him/her in a day camp. You can also send him/her with a friend or sibling.
- If you and your child haven't visited the camp, make sure you get as much literature about it as possible, including a description of the layout and a video, if the camp has one. Go over these materials together.
- Ask for a list of recommended items to bring.
- Talk to your child about his or her feelings. Find out if your child has any concerns, and do your best to reassure him or her that you and the camp staff will take every precaution to make sure he or she stays safe.
- Give the staff a list of emergency phone numbers and email addresses, and make sure they know how to reach you at all times during your child's camp stay.
- Have your child bring their own sunscreen if they will be outdoors.
- Pack an extra set of clothes.3
1 Kids Health for parents, “Sending Your Child With Special Needs to Camp,” (October 2007) http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/travel/sending_child_camp.html (30 November 2008)
2 BellaOnline The Voice of Women- Autism Spectrum Disorder Site, “Camp questions for families with autistic children,” n.d. (30 November 2008)
3 education.com, “Sending Your Child With Special Needs to Camp,” n.d. http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Sending_Your_Child/ (30 November 2008)