Look at your calendar…it’s mid-May! Those little darlings will be out of school SOON! (Around here there are only 6 days of school left.) What do you have planned for the summer?

Here’s another area where parenting special kids becomes challenging. There are tons of potential activities for children without special needs. But things become trickier when your child is outside the norm.

First off, if you’re just now starting your quest for summer camps and activities, for some programs it’s just TOO late. Here in Georgia there’s a wonderful program FOCUS (Families Of Children Under Stress) and they run a program called Camp Hollywood for disabled children ages 3-21. They have seven different camps throughout the metro Atlanta area and according to an email I received recently they are nearly all full. I hear it’s a wonderful program at a very reasonable price (and there are scholarships available). It doesn’t work for LuLu, though, because they don’t take anyone with certain behavioral issues.

And there in lies the rub with finding the “right” spot for your special needs child. Some camps and programs are wonderful for one kid or one group of disabilities, but not equipped for another.

The good news for you procrastinators is that there is still time. Some of the more tailored and specialized programs still have plenty of room. They are just a little harder to find. So, with some diligent research, and asking the right people, you may just find a summer camp experience right for your child.

I actually looked into three potential programs for LuLu this summer. This is the first year I’ve ever considered such a move. Before I was sure her behaviors would cause problems. But this year I recognized that summer time is a fabulous time to work on social skills issues. So that was my prerequisite. The program must include a social skills component. One program we really liked combined therapeutic horseback riding, swimming and brain-based therapies. LuLu would probably be going there if the camp wasn’t literally an hour away. Daily transport to and from seemed a bit daunting. And the price tag was high, especially when factoring in $3.00 a gallon for gas.

Where we’re enrolling her LuLu will go for three weeks in July of therapeutic recreation and social skills at a nearby private school that just might be the place for her in the coming school year or so. Through June we will go each day for a half hour of neurodevelopmental exercises through a program called Learning Breakthrough. I don’t know much about the program yet, except it’s based on sensory integration principles and balance. Knowing what I do about the vestibular and proprioceptive systems it makes sense to me. So I’ll let you know.

So where do you find these summer opportunities? Talk to your child’s therapists. Speech and occupational therapists often either run these types of programs during the summer or know places that do. Public school systems aren’t necessarily a good source, although the therapists there may know about these programs if you ask.

Network with other parents. Watch newspapers and check websites. And CALL everyone. When investigating programs, ask for them to provide you access to other families who have used the program or whose children have been to the camp. If possible, talk with the director and the person who would be your child’s teacher/camp counselor.

And don't overlook the obvious. Your church's Vacation Bible School, your child's school...there may be other programs out there that would work with you and provide additional adult supervision or modifications to allow your child to attend. You don't know until you ask.

Here are some resources to get you started:

Schwab Learning Summer Camp List
My Summer Camps – Special Needs

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