Parent to parent: Find a good summer camp fit for your child on the spectrum
Is your child home for the summer while his or her friends are going to camp? Preparing to hand your child over to strangers, whether for several hours or several days, can be scary. For many parents and caregivers, the responsibility weighs heavy 24 hours a day—and parents and caregivers could use a break!
Two parents of sons on the spectrum, Cory Gilden and Jen Nardo managed to successfully find out not only what their children could handle while away from home but also what they themselves could handle—while enjoying a much-needed break!
Here’s how they did it—and you can, too.
Photo courtesy of Aleksandar Andreev
How I helped create a positive day camp experience for my son
by Cory Gilden, PhD
Sometimes a kid benefits from the more loosely structured and active environment of summer camp. This is true for my son Casey. Like most kids with autism, Casey loves a schedule and his quiet downtime, but my free-range son also likes to explore and experience new things. So, once he was in grade school, I started looking at summer camps.
Choosing a summer day camp that suited my son’s needs did not happen instantly. I had to consider the typical issues for choosing a camp, such as location, cost, and a child’s preferred hobbies and sports. And then I had the added considerations of Casey’s unique dietary needs, sensory issues, and sensitivities to materials and environments. For example, Casey does not function well in the heat for too long, but I did not want him stuck inside all day either. He thrives when he can switch between environments and take part in new experiences in new places.
Photo courtesy of the CDC
I could tell that my quest to find a summer day camp for Casey was different from other parents’ when camp directors hesitated in answering my questions: “My son is on a special diet. Can you microwave his lunch?” “How will staff react if they can’t understand what my son is saying?” and “Can I get a daily report from the counselors about camp activities and any social interactions?”
(Okay, so we’re high maintenance.)
Having spent several summers as a camp counselor myself, I knew that transparency about my son’s needs would help camp staff anticipate and respond to Casey more appropriately. So, every year I give his camp director, nurse, and counselors a one-page info sheet about him:
- his diagnoses and differences to expect because of them
- his preferences, such as being given notice before an activity ends and playing on his tablet to calm down
- his dietary and medical needs
- and my contact information
To make all this information seem less imposing, I top the sheet with a cute photo of Casey’s smiling face.
Photo courtesy of Weavehall Collective
I finally found a day camp that I thought would be a great fit. A friend of Casey’s went there, too. Plus, the camp director and staff supported inclusion and were willing to work with us.
First, I toured the camp so I could ask questions about staff-to-camper ratios, schedules, transportation for field trips, and so on. Then, Casey and I toured the camp together. This step familiarized him with the setting, which helped him feel more comfortable and excited about the pending experience.
On the first day of camp, Casey skipped into the building—and I crossed my fingers. Six years later, Casey still loves going to camp. Returning campers and counselors now know him well, welcome him into the group, and help him have a great summer.
And Casey helps them learn that—with a little preparation—kids on the autism spectrum can enjoy a positive camp experience.
Is your child ready for sleep-away camp?
by Jen Nardo
Let’s start with some questions that helped me determine my child’s readiness for sleep-away camp:
- Has the child ever stayed overnight somewhere with you (at a hotel, a family member’s
home)? - Has the child stayed overnight somewhere without you?
- How does the child act without you around?
- How does the child cope with new experiences?
- Has camp been presented as a positive and fun experience?
- What camp activities might cause stress for the child and what would the child prefer?
- Would another year to mature make a difference in the child’s readiness? Or would a day camp be a better way to start?
How I know sleep-away camp is good for my son—I have seen my son mature and gain independence. His behavior at camp is different from how he acts at home. He hates showers at home but takes them at camp. And he eats whatever they serve. He also sleeps on a lower bunk or a single bed in a room with other campers and counselors. He has kayaked, ridden a horse and zip line, climbed a rock wall, gone swimming, made crafts, enjoyed a hayride, and danced to music.
How I know sleep-away camp is good for me—As hard as it was to walk away the first time I dropped Jake off at camp, I was glad to get in some much-needed respite time. If you’re a parent thinking about sending your child to camp, make sure you plan to do something nice for yourself, your spouse, or your other children. It could be a sit-down meal at a nice restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, a few days at the beach, or quiet time to renew your soul.
How I prepared my son for sleep-away camp:
- We sang camp songs in music therapy.
- We looked at online photos of camp.
- We visited camp a few times for an hour or more.
- We told social stories about camp and described camp activities.
- I reminded Jake over and over that I will pick him up when camp is done.
How I prepared the camp counselors—I wrote a couple of pages explaining what Jake liked and his potential triggers.
Photo courtesy of Stephen McDaniel
Photo courtesy of Cottonbro Studio
About the authors
The information in this article was previously published in The Sun (Spring 2020) and is now reissued, courtesy of its authors, Cory Gilden, PhD, who is currently the research and evaluation manager for the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities as well as the parent of a now–17-year-old autistic son; and parent-mentor Jen Nardo, who not only had developed ideas and written articles for The Sun for 20 years but also volunteered for Autism DelawareSM fundraising events. The parent of two now-adult sons, one neurotypical and one on the spectrum, Jen has also joined the board of The A-Team Delaware.