Finding a summer camp for your special needs child

Finding a summer camp for your special needs child

By Fay Schipper

‘Tis the season to put on your Sherlock Holmes hat and search for a summer camp that your special needs child will enjoy and benefit from. Yes, summer is coming quickly and you ought to be ready to embrace it.

Camp is a win-win situation for everyone in the family. It provides you with respite, and the opportunity to spend more quality time with your other children. It also frees you from having to think of activities to do so your child doesn’t spend all of their time watching television, playing on the computer, or listening to music. You may even luck into finding a great camp counselor who can become your babysitter during the year. Your child is the real winner here as she/he practices social skills, improves personal identity and makes new friends while at camp.

Sending your child to a camp can be a frightful experience for you on many levels. Rest assured, camp staff receive ample training on caring for special needs children.

Selecting the camp can be a daunting ordeal. Inspirations is happy to help you look for a camp that welcomes your child. A camp resource directory has been created and can be found on the Inspirations website, www.inspirationsnews.ca. Click on the database section, and look for Section 10. It lists day and sleep-away camps. Happy investigating, Sherlock.  

  

If you have a resource, be it a camp or anything else, that you’d like to add to the database, please email Fay at fayschipper@gmail.com.  

Fay Schipper is the volunteer database consultant at Inspirations.