Support An Autism Camp By Voting

I received this email and wanted to show my support by posting it on my blog. They are not asking you for money, just your vote.


I work for a non-profit in Dallas that helps kids with autism
and other delays. We are trying to win a $50,000 grant from Pepsi to fund our summer camp for kids with autism - and to do so, we have to be in the top-10 vote-getters on their site for our division.

A little about our project that the $50,000 would fund:

Camp SMILE! consists of five, 2 week, therapeutic day camps which
incorporate sensory integration, visual strategies, direct social
instruction, and positive behaviorial supports, for 45 children, ages
3-16, with autism. Campers are placed by age, social-language skills,
and functional levels so activities are developmentally appropriate.

Camp is staffed by speech and occupational therapists and special
education teachers who develop individual child goals while
facilitating positive, appropriate peer group interactions. Due to the
intense, individual needs of the campers, the camper/staff ratiois
three to one.

Campers work and play with others, develop strategies for making
friends, learn coping skills, experience making positive choices, and
understand the consequences of behavior. They learn self-calming
techniques, practice creative thinking, and have fun.

Parents get a brief respite from the intensity of parenting a child
with autism.

Could you promote it on your site and encourage everyone to vote every
day in May (and tell their friends)?

We are hovering around #125 - so top 10 is pretty far away for us!

Vote here - http://pep.si/aq5ytC


Thanks for any help you can give us!

Sincerely,
Liz Newsome
Program Assistant
The Warren Center

www.thewarrencenter.org

Sending Your Child To Summer Camp

Summer can be a very stressful time for parents with an autistic child. We worry that being home all summer will have a bad affect on our child. We worry that they will regress while out of school. This was always a big concern for me. I soon realized that my son didn’t have to regress during the summer. I could keep him engaged and learning with different activities during the summer. It was my success in doing this that gave me the confidence to home school my son.

In the past, day camps have played an important part of our summer. My son spent two summers at a special autistic, overnight summer camp. It was one week, overnight, and my son loved it. Because of the cost, we have only been able to do this twice with him. There are several day camps in our area that are available for my son to attend. My son has attended some of them and will do so again this summer.

Of course, there has also been the all important swimming lessons during the summer. This is not just an important life skill to learn, it is also a great learning experience for motor planning. Both of my children have enjoyed swimming lessons during the summer. My daughter will be 7 this summer and will need more activities to keep her occupied. I have not planned out what I will be doing with both of my children, but summer camp will be included.

One choice for a summer camp experience for your child is KinderCare. KinderCare centers are springing up all around the country. They offer summer camp programs for children from Pre-school age to school age. This summer, they have several great themes that are designed to encourage your child’s creativity in learning. Such themes include Wild, Wild West and Dig Ancient Egypt. KinderCare has “crafted a summer day-camp program that delivers just what they’re looking for: irresistible learning opportunities, hands-on involvement and unique experiences.”

I don’t have a KinderCare near me. If you would like to find out if there is a Kinder Care center near you, please visit their website. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Surf Camps for Autistic Children

There are several surf camps for autistic children that your child can participate in. A few are Surfing Angels, Surfers Healing and iMatter Surf Camp. Attending a surf camp gives an autistic child the opportunity to participate in an activity that improves their self esteem and allows them to have fun. I had the opportunity to do an email interview with Jessica Guberman, Ph.D with Community Options Enterprises. They are the organizers of iMatter Surf Camp. Here are the questions and answers:




1. Can you explain to my readers what iMatter Surf Camp is?

The iMatter Surf Camp for Children with Autism is a one day surf camp
where children get to surf tandem, one on one, with a local surfer to
experience to develop not only a love of the water but of surfing. The
camp takes place every year in Westhampton, NY. The camp is made possibly
by Community Options, Inc. which is a national nonprofit organization that
has been developing homes and employment supports for people with
disabilities for over twenty years. The camp started in 2007 and has
generated hundreds of participants, volunteers and families.

>2. Who can attend and where can they find out how to sign up their child?

Anyone is eligible to attend and more information about registration can
be found on our Facebook page.


Registration opens the first week in February and families fill out an
application and waiver and submit that back to me so I can process the
information.

>3. What are some of the benefits for an autistic child to attend a
>surfing camp?

The iMatter Surf Camp is a completely inclusive event and it allows
children with autism to surf with their non-disabled peers, the camp
teaches children how to surf, the camp allows children to feel a stress
free environment where they can feel free to be themselves and have an
awesome time. When people ask me about the camp, the only way I can
describe it is magical. It is always the best day of my entire year.

>4. What kind of training and experience do the volunteers at this camp
>have?

The volunteers that work with the children are all local surfers from Long
Island. They have had years of experience surfing on the beaches of Long
Island and thoroughly enjoy working with the children. Land volunteers
have all different types of experiences, volunteers can help me
registration, preparation of food (we serve a free nut free lunch) clean
up, mingling with families, photographers, etc.


Our organization website is www.comop.org.


Jessica Guberman, Ph.D.