ADHD Summer Camp

From LoveToKnow Kids

For many kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and their families, an ADHD summer camp can be a welcome change of pace.

About ADHD Summer Camp

Children with ADHD are usually ill-equipped to handle traditional summer camps. What's more, regular camps typically hire teenagers and other well-meaning employees who are unfamiliar with the needs of differently-abled kids. As a result, children with ADHD are frequently labeled as behavior problems, troublemakers, or even learning disabled. These special kids need special camps.

Most camps for children with ADHD are designed by physicians, psychologists, or special education professionals. Ideally, they provide a balance of education, treatment, fun, and recreation. Many also focus on developing skills needed for effective everyday life, such as:

  • Decision-making
  • Problem-solving
  • Social skills
  • Self esteem
  • Patience
  • Coping with ADD or ADHD
  • Time management
  • Organization

These camps typically focus on each camper's strengths and strive to teach the children to move beyond labels and reach their own potential.

Choosing a Camp

While all special needs camps exist to help children reach their full potential, their methods can vary. To help your child receive maximum benefit from his time away, it is important to find a camp that fits his needs, health, personality, and skills. Keep the following questions in mind as you compare camps:

  • What is the camp's discipline policy?
  • Are campers allowed to phone, write, or email home?
  • What are the qualifications of the camp employees?
  • Does the camp allow family visits?
  • What is the camp's philosophy or mission statement? Does it mesh with your beliefs?
  • What accommodations are made to deal with ADHD?
  • What are the physical requirements of the campers?
  • What types of treatment, counseling, or education are offered?
  • What is the ratio of adults to campers?
  • Is the treatment or education balanced by fun and adventure?
  • Is the camp accredited?
  • Is the tuition all-inclusive, or will there be additional charges?

The Learning Camp

The Learning Camp is located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The camp accepts boys and girls, ages 7 to 14, with ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger's, and learning disabilities. All camp counselors are professionals trained to work with special needs children. The facility strives to provide a combination of education and adventure. Activities include:

  • Hiking
  • Boating
  • Swimming
  • Horseback riding
  • Sports

The cost of the camp is approximately $1000 - $2000 per week.

SOAR

Success Oriented Achievement Realized (SOAR) offers an adventure camp for boys and girls, ages 8-18, with learning disabilities, ADD, and ADHD. The company has facilities in the following areas:

  • Belize
  • California
  • Costa Rica
  • Florida
  • North California
  • Peru
  • Wyoming

SOAR focuses on helping each camper reach his full potential. Rather than emphasize the ADHD, SOAR professionals highlight each child's strengths, skills, and talents. In an effort to foster each child's independence, campers are not allowed to phone home.

The program costs approximately $1000 - $2000 per week.

Talisman

Talisman is located in North Carolina, and offers camp programs for children and teens with ADD, ADHD, Aperger's, and learning disabilities. This fully accredited camp focuses on emphasizing individual strengths, nurturing bonds, and building self esteem, all in an adventurous, wilderness setting.

Although the staff does not consist entirely of trained professionals, all are at least college students in a related field.

Tuition ranges from $2000 - $2900 per session.

Other ADHD Summer Camps

These are just a fraction of the camps catering to children with ADHD. Others include:


 


Comments

MHawkins, We're so glad that SOAR worked for your son! Thanks for writing!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

Suzanne, Thanks for sharing your family's story!-Susie

-- Contributed by: Susie1506

We live in the Chicago area. We have a now 17 year old son who is a junior in high school this year. Our son has ADHD and Non-Verbal Learning Differences. He is socially awkward and its very easy for him to miss social cues in dealing with his peers. Over the years, he has had several camp experiences, each of which has involved his being away from home for 1 to 3 weeks. For 6 years, he spent 2 weeks each summer (except 1 week the first summer) at Camp Te...seh, which is a YMCA camp in Brookston, Indiana. While Te...seh has no special program for kids with special needs, we always felt that our son was well taken care of by caring counselors and he came home each year talking about going back the next summer. Unfortunately, hes now too old for Te...seh. One summer, after 8th grade, he spent 3 weeks at Franklin Academy, in Connecticut, for the first session of its summer program; he opted for an aeronautics program. Franklin is a private boarding school for kids with Non-Verbal Learning Differences. Our son was very happy with the experience, but we were not happy with the lack of communication from Franklin and we are not convinced that the kids were appropriately supervised at all times. In light of the significant cost of the program, we did not send our son back again. Last summer, our son went on a SOAR (Success Oreinted Achievement Realized) trip to the Florida Keys. SOARs programs are designed for kids and teens with ADHD, ADD and LD. Our son had a fabulous trip and he may be going on a SOAR trip to Costa Rica this summer. We were very pleased with our interactions with the SOAR staff, and since the entire program is designed for kids like our son, we didnt have to explain him to the staff; they got it when we told them the first time. We would highly recommend both Camp Te...seh and the SOAR programs.

-- Contributed by: Suzanne Bessette-Smith
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