By John Willson, MS, TRS/CTRS, Director of LD and ADHD Services at Camp SOAR
(Success Oriented Achievement Realized)

For many children, two words summarize their sweetest childhood memories: summer camp. For those with ADHD, however, a camp experience that is not handled correctly may turn out to be a disappointment to the child and his or her parent(s). Many students find counselors to be impatient, reactive, and unsupportive. Your mission is to find a camp willing to utilize strategies that promote success instead of failure. Camp can be a tremendous opportunity to increase self-esteem and self-confidence. In order to create a positive experience for your child, it is important for you to choose a summer camp that is right for him or her.

There are a host of opportunities available to children during the summer. Summer camps come in many different forms and specialties: sleep-away; sports; travel; art; computer; academic; adventure, and day camps, all of which enable children to get away, grow, and feel independent. While many programs book up early in the year, there are many camps that enroll children until mid-summer. Before you begin the quest for the perfect summer camp, it is important to ask yourself some important questions:

• Is your son or daughter ready for a sleep-away camp? Most camps can manage homesickness, but you'll need to look at the degree of anxiety your child will face when attending camp.
  
  
• Has your child spent some time away from home on sleepovers or with extended family?
  
  
• Does your child have an independent nature, or do they tend to forge ahead only with significant caution?
  
  
• Does your child have trouble making friends or getting along with peers?
  
  

Once you determine whether your son or daughter is ready for camp, then it is time to take a good hard look at yourself. Parents of first-time campers will often struggle significantly more than their children. Simply put, are you ready to be away from your child for two to six weeks?

Choosing the Right Program

You may want to consider a summer program specifically designed to meet the special needs of children diagnosed with ADHD. However not all children with ADHD need to attend a special-needs camp. It is important to know that if your child has poor organizational skills, inadequate social skills, low self-esteem, low self-confidence, poor decision making skills, and difficulty managing transitions, you will want to ensure whatever camp you choose will be able to create a successful environment for him or her.

Begin by asking your child what kind of summer they would like to have. Would they prefer a traditional sleep-away camp or day camp, or would they have more interest in attending a camp focusing on sports, travel, art, computers, academics, or adventure? Once you have narrowed down your choices it is time to begin your search for the right summer camp for your child.

Finding the Right Camp

These are some critical points in the camp selection process. It begins with your commitment to give as much information to prospective camps as possible while asking the right questions, such as:

• Do they work with youth diagnosed with ADHD?
  
  
• What is the camp's staff to student ratio?
  
  
• How do they handle the following: inattention, hyperactivity, misbehavior, bullying, poor organization skills, poor social skills, non-compliance, and campers with low self-esteem?
  
  
• How do they handle medications?
  
  
• How do they manage risk associated with impulsivity?
  
  
• What do students get sent home for?
  
  
• Are the students ever unsupervised?
  
  
• What are the medical certifications of the staff?
  
  
• How do they handle homesickness?
  
  
• Are they accredited?
  
  
• Has any student ever been seriously injured at the camp?
  
  
• Do they give feedback/evaluations back to parents at the end of camp?
  
  
• How will they address your child's specific needs?
  
  
• Do they have references from parents of other ADHD campers?
  
  

Once you have asked the right questions, checked the camp's references, and explored all your options it is time to forge ahead with your summer plans. Involve your son or daughter in the decision-making process, but know that the ultimate decision is yours. You are your child's best advocate, so it is your job to find an environment that will help strengthen and develop his or her social and life skills to help ensure that your child has a positive and successful summer.

Preparing With Confidence

You have chosen the right camp, paid the deposit, received the gear list and information sheets, and now it is time to get ready for camp. The following guidelines will help you and your child make this a fun experience:

1. If there is special clothing or gear to be purchased try to harness the excitement of this adventure by involving your child at every turn. Children love stuff! Make the most of this preparation time and raise enthusiasm for the upcoming experience.
   
   
2. Make a timeline for yourself and make sure you return forms on time. Make a copy of every form and put them in a place where you can find them.
   
   
3. A wonderful way to ease the anxiety of this new experience and raise even more enthusiasm for the adventure ahead is to schedule a trip to see the camp prior to the start of your child's summer session.
   
   
4. Label everything and send the camp a detailed inventory of your child's belongings. Be realistic about the condition they will come back in.
   
   
5. Write a special letter to your child's camp counselor introducing your child, their special needs and strategies that may prove helpful in making the experience as wonderful as possible.
   
   
6. Start the countdown to camp early with your child. Make sure everyone knows when camp begins, how long it will last, and the plan to get to camp. This step will also help ease any anxiety your child and/or you may feel.
   
   
7. Be prepared to drop off your child, meet the counselors, and leave as quickly as possible. For children struggling with their first time at camp, lingering makes the separation much more painful.
   
   
8. Arrange with the camp director when you can expect updates. It is helpful to both you and your child to send lots of letters, but phone calls only increase homesickness.
   
   
9. Make sure your child is comfortable with his or her medication regimen. It is important for you to also have conversations with his or her counselors and other camp caregivers about what medication(s) your child is taking so they can monitor accordingly.
   
   
10. Sit back, relax, and try to enjoy this wonderful respite. You have done your homework. Trust that your child is learning, growing, and having fun.
    
    

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