Summer Camps Bring Challenges, Growth for Children with Autism

The month of June brings excitement for sunshine, swimming pools — and increasingly, summer camps.

But summer programming can often be fraught with challenges for children with autism: transitioning from their comforting routines at school to looser routines at camp, navigating new social dynamics, and interacting with new adults can lead to both opportunities for growth and moments of anxiety.

Some students are eligible for extended school year services through their IEP, allowing them to maintain progress they have made toward their educational goals in a familiar environment for the first few weeks of summer. But after the extended school year program ends, parents can be left in a lurch. While many mainstream summer camps claim to be inclusive — and in fact, many are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations at no additional charge to families — few have the expertise or bandwidth to truly meet the safety and clinical needs of kids with behavioral challenges and medical vulnerabilities medically vulnerable kids.

Elieen Lamb , mom of two boys with autism knows this all too well. One son, Charlie, has level 3 autism and engages in severe challenging behaviors like pica (consuming non-food items) and elopement. Lamb told EP Magazine that, when choosing a summer camp for Charlie, safety is her primary concern. Before summer even begins, she calls ahead to potential camps and gauges their experience with children with similar behaviors. She asks if they know how to use alterative communications devices; if they understand the principles of ABA therapy; and if they will be able to provide the constant monitoring and support her son needs.

Meanwhile, her other son, Jude, has level one autism and is able to keep himself safe. So, Lamb’s primary goal when finding summer camps for Jude is to find environments where he can explore his interests and have fun.

Individuals’ experiences can vary, and, for parents, it can feel like a toss-up whether camp staff will be able to accommodate their children’s needs.

Mike Simmel, who has epilepsy, attended a camp as a 16-year-old where he honed his skills in his favorite sport: basketball. But after he had a seizure on the court, the camp directors asked him not to come back.

“Of course, my dad gave them a piece of his mind,” Simmel told Autism New Jersey recently in an interview. His parents’ advocacy ultimately allowed him to finish out the camp with his peers, but the experience left a lasting impression on Simmel.

“It launched my lifelong passion,” he said. “Every kid should be able to enjoy camp.”

Simmel now hosts multi-state, award-winning afterschool basketball programs and summer camps catered specifically to kids with physical and developmental disabilities, with camps in four New Jersey locations coming up in August. And he recently wrote a book featuring a character with autism who bonds with other children with invisible disabilities through their passion for the game.

Simmel acknowledges that mainstream sports camps might move too fast for some campers with disabilities, so he designed his camps to focus on basketball fundamentals like dribbling, passing, shooting, and of course, having fun. He tells his story of overcoming the odds through perseverance, teamwork, self-confidence and a dash of humor, inspiring his campers to reject any stories they’ve been told about their limitations and embrace a future of possibilities.

“Bounce Out the Stigma is unique in that we engage children in basketball activities that they have not experienced because of the limitations others placed on these kids in the past,” Simmel said. “In developing a new skill set through motor drills, our campers are taught to aim higher, tackling everyday challenges and troubles with greater confidence.”

With a medical professional on site at every camp he runs, Simmel ensures that campers of all abilities can participate — and no one will be left on the sidelines.

Autism New Jersey maintains a list of autism-friendly camps and recreational activities, and don’t forget, the deadline to apply for funding from CSOC for a one-to-one summer camp aid for your child is Monday, June 30^th.