Sunday, June 12, 2011

Camp for kids with special needs: We made our decision!


That camp for kids with special needs I was debating about? We all went to to the open house yesterday. I am sold. Max is sort of sold.

Before we even went, I called the local police precinct to see if any complaints had been filed against the camp or whether they'd ever had any criminal (read: perv) happenings there. There wasn't a single one in the three decades the camp has been in operation.


Max wasn't interested in the group tour—too many people. So he hung out in the game room with Dave, and Sabrina and I went. I bumped into the awesome mom I know who first told me about the camp, as well as one of the coach's on Max's Little League Challenger Division team. Her son has been going to the camp for three years, which was reassuring.

My first question: What sort of background checks do they do on staffers? The answer from the camp director (who holds a degree in special ed): Complete background and drivers' license checks. I also found out the medical director sleeps at the camp with her family, and there is a staff of nurses. The local EMS is right down the hill. The staff is fully trained before camp starts, and there are a large number of staffers who return from previous years. There is a one to one staffer-to-camper ratio, and one of the staffers in the bunk is assigned to stay up all night long. It is fully wheelchair accessible.

The schedule they described seems great: The kids are up at 8, then they have breakfast, watch the flag being raised, sing songs. The day is filled with activities—swimming, sports, crafts. The weeks have different themes; there's Adventure Week, Holiday Week, Olympics Week, and Fantasy Week.

The adapted playground (note the purple railing).

Max bait!

I think this bunk is slightly nicer than our home. It is most definitely cleaner.

The crafts room. I actually peeked into the cups on the table for purple crayons. Check!

There's even a jukebox in the dance/music cabin.

I was completely impressed, though not everyone was.

"Max, do you want to go to camp?" I asked en route home.

"NO AM!" said Max. ["NO CAMP!"]

Then, as I was putting him to bed, I asked again: "Max, do you want to go to camp?"

"Eeeyah!" ["YEAH!"] he said.

I'm already picturing a tear-filled goodbye (mine). But I think, overall, this is going to be A Good Thing for Max. Next year, I'll consider inclusive camps but for now, I think this is right for Max.

Oops! Forgot to ask if they serve spaghetti. The brochure says "Special diets can be accommodated when necessary," and I'm pretty sure Max's spaghetti-centric existence counts, right?

24 comments:

  1. AWESOME!!! So excited for Max! And for you. Looks amazing. What a big milestone for him- sleepaway camp!!! Hope he has the best time ever.

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  2. This sounds so very awesome! I bet that Max will have a great time.

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  3. WOW Ellen! Just WOW! This is going to be sooooo amazing for Max -- and for you, Dave and Sabrina too! I can't wait to hear updates!

    My Mom used to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies and put them in a (lined) shoe box for the ride up to camp. It's a terrific ice breaker when meeting new friends;)

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  4. This is going to be awesome for Max, I'm sure! What a huge step!

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  5. I did not come from a "camp" family. My mom would no sooner have sent any of us to camp than she would have sent us to the moon! I guess I've inherited that reluctance. Can't do it, even if I could afford it. It wouldn't be a vacation for me, it would be torture!

    I hope it all goes wonderfully for you guys, though, and that Max has a good time and enjoys himself. Will he be going this year or are you just scoping it out for next year?

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  6. Ellen, when we sent D last year to HASC, I thought it would kill me. But you know what? He had an AMAZING time, I got a break I desperately needed, and my younger two boys finally had a mom who paid attention to them. This is a special gift for Sabrina, you, and Dave.

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  7. That camp looks awesome! This will be great for him, and I'm sure he'll have a total blast and want to go back next year :)

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  8. he'll love it. it looks like it has everything covered.

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  9. Sending myBoy to camp has been one of the best things we have ever done for our family.He always has new skills when he comes home..and more confidence too.
    I asked many of the same questions, and did an interview with the Camp Director at Via West for The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism.
    http://thinkingautismguide.blogspot.com/2011/05/say-yes-to-summer-camp.html

    I hope Max has a great time!
    xo

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  10. Felicia, it's for this summer! Just one week.

    Debbie, that is an excellent idea. I can make sugar cookies with purple sprinkles!

    And Jen, I am so not surprised you asked the same q's! I'm off to read your post.

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  11. Very excited for all of you. It looks and sounds fabulous. And you'll have a week off from that therapy schedule of yours while Max is being loved, cared for and entertained.

    Enjoy.

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  12. I misread and thought he was going for all 4 weeks, yikes! I agree, how could he possibly "survive" doing all those things without you -- good news is I am pretty sure those are typical mom feelings about sending your kid to camp. ;) One week is not so bad, you may both LOVE it!

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  13. Awesome sounds and looks like Max is going to have blast!! SO exciting

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  14. Wow great place for kids to hanging out....

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  15. Looks perfect! How you are going to feel when he doesn't want to come home after the week?!?

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  16. You might want to think twice about bringing cookies without asking first if it's okay. Times have changed since parents could send a shoebox full of homemade cookies. Many kids have issues with foods and allergies, and many camps do not permit kids to bring any food to camp, or for parents to send any food. My niece (who does not have a disability) goes to a camp that does not permit food brought in from home, and apparently this is not uncommon.

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  17. Are you kidding me?! I love reading your blog and I saw the photo of the pool and knew straight away! I WORK AT THAT CAMP! You have picked right one for sure. I promise you he'll have a fabulous time =)

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  18. oh and special diets = kitchen staff will prepare/cook anything you provide =)

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  19. As Glenda Watson Hyatt would say: "Good on ya!" Really, I am so pleased you decided on a camp and are sharing it with other parents! I spent weeks volunteering ('medical' staff) at a similar camp in TX for years. So long as it feels right for you, I think you can be confident Max will benefit from the experience.

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  20. Awesome!! Sounds fabulous my girl is going to special needs soccer camp just 3 half days (it's free but mommy has to stay incase she needs potty) But she will be up and playing soccer totally amazing to me. She just learned to walk with a walker so I can't wait. She also going to our local community centre for day camp for 2 weeks integrated with kids from our neighbour hood. I hope she will enjoy both. It's scary leaving your kids at overnight camp I know because i was nervous when I sent my oldest he has no special needs and I was freaked out but he loved it. He was 9 at the time he wants to go back each year he's 11 now but it's so expensive so I haven't sign him up again. If we had more money I would. I got funding for Ashley so she going .. not fair but when is life fair. I'm sure Max is going to love his camp too sounds and looks fabulous!!!

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  21. AQwe how excited that he would like to go.

    Enjoy.

    http://www.emilyhubbel.com

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  22. It looks fantastic. I am sure Max will love it. I'm also sure they can manage some spaghetti.

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  23. Sherry, awesome about soccer camp!!!

    Allecto: See? It really is a small world!

    Ano Ny Mous: Good point about the cookies. I think I will just distribute peanuts instead.

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  24. That sounds really awesome! As for Max's somewhat okay-ness, a lot of kids do open up once they're at camp and among other new kids with lots of things to do, so unless he's really, really shy all the time, it's probably not something to worry about! And if he gets really homesick I'm sure the camp knows how to deal with it. Good luck, and I hope he has a great time!

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Thanks for sharing!