HELP: Summer camps? Yes or No for ADD kids
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MamaToK ...@Yahoo.com (mk)
Have a 10 year old who has ADHD. He has never been away for long period of time from us. Looking for experiences of parents of children with ADHD who sent their children to summer camps & if they can share their good/bad experiences please...
If your child did attend summer camp: Any recommendations?
Thanks, worried mama :(
"Mark Probert-February 23, 2004" Mark Probert02-23...@lumbercartel.com
Look for a camp that caters to AD/HDers.
"Sumbuny" IGNORETHISsumb...@cox.net
I understand your concerns...my older son (16 1/2, "only" ADHD) has been on high school band trips, and the chaperones were people I knew, friends of the family. He did well (the farthest one was to Hollywood Ca.--we are in Florida). My younger son took more for me to handle (he is 14, ADHD/gifted/aspergers/SID). He is now a Life-ranked Boy Scout, and they go camping monthly, with a week-long summer camp. That is one of the reasons that his dad got involved with Scouting (so did I, but as a committee member--we do not go camping as much, but may if we wish). Even so, his dad pretty much leaves him alone--on summer camps, the ScoutMasters rarely see the boys of the Troop outside of sleeping and mealtimes.
You might want to start small--a camp that is relatively nearby, and only for a short time (weekend, week, etc). Once you see how that goes, then you can consider longer and farther away. But I will warn you, kids *do* get homesick, and they *do* get over it (remember the old camping standard, "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"? It has a large grain of truth in it!).
If/when the kids call, wanting to come home, take it with a grain of salt, and speak with the camp counselors--they have seen this before. If it helps, talk to the camp couselors before deciding on a camp, to see what the experience with ADHD (or other exceptionalities) is...
Buny
"QBall" qbal...@btinternet.com
I'd be inclined to find one you like the sound of and let him go.
Although it's much harder for an ADD-childed parent to make this sort of decision, it would be far harder on the child to deprive him of the many potential benefits of such an experience.
There's really no more reason it would be significantly more traumatic for him than going to school - and you might be pleasantly surprised at how well he takes to and enjoys it.
After all, their safety and welfare is catered for and I'm sure there will be someone on hand to cater for any immediate difficulties, should they arise.
I think it would be easy to fall into the over-protection trap, to his detriment.
The broader his experiences at an early age, the more amenable he'll become to adapting to new situations.
And ultimately, you can be in regular contact with the course-organisers to ensure that he isn't in the situation of staying against his will.
It's usual to find that in the first few days, they all get homesick - but once that's p***ed, they usually revel in the freedom and camaraderie.
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kaplo ...@encompasserve.org.TRABoD (Bob Kaplow)
As a kid I was always going to summer camp. My father was a lifelong scouter. I went to YMCA came as a 9-10 year old (I was a YM but J not C, didn't matter) then scout camp from 11 to 17. Had a great time.
Never was diagnosed ADD as a kid, but it now seems obvious that I was. But then so was my dad.
Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD! <<< Kaplow Klips & Baffle: http://nira-rocketry.org/LeadingEdge/Phantom4000.pdf www.encomp***erve.org/~kaplow_r/ www.nira-rocketry.org www.nar.org Save Model Rocketry from the HSA! http://www.space-rockets.com/congress.html
and ...@kennolyn.com (Andrew Townsend)
I am a camp director and I have a couple of pieces of advice.
1) if your son is severely ADD, and making friends is difficult for him, camp can be hard. In this case consider a camp that specializes in working with children with ADD. You can search for special needs camps at www.acacamps.org and www.kidscamps.com.
2) If he does well in a regular school there is no reason he cannot be hugely succesful at a camp.
3) Once you chose a couple of camps you are interested in, call and talk to the director. What training do they offer the staff on ADD, what is the level of structure offered and what level of compliance is expected, do they have an RN to watch medication levels? Be totally honest with the camp about what they should expect from your son. In my experience this is the most important part of the process. If the camp is blindsided they may react with intolerance for your son's behavior. If you work with them I beleive you will be amazed at their comp***ion and ability in dealing with your family.
Good luck.
"QBall" qbal...@btinternet.com
What a great post.
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