When dealing with a troubled child or adolescent becomes too difficult, a summer away can give you both renewed energy and hope. For the child, summer camp provides an opportunity to learn better coping skills and meet peers struggling with similar issues. For parents, it allows time to work with a therapist or attend group counseling sessions to learn ways of coping with your child's behavior.
Camp Huntington
Located in picturesque Woodstock, New York, Camp Huntington offers developmentally disabled children a therapeutic environment in a summer camp setting. Camp Huntington offers three unique programs for children with different needs. For those with learning disabilities, including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, the focus is on development of social skills through recreation.
For the developmentally disabled, the focus is cultivation of independence. For children with autism and Asperger's syndrome, staff focus on teaching participation. A full session is six weeks, starting in mid-June and ending the last day of July. Campers can also choose to attend half-sessions.
Camp Huntington
56 Bruceville Road
High Falls, NY 12440
845-687-7840
camphuntington.com
Thompson Island Outward Bound
Boston Harbor's Thompson Island offers 12-day programs for troubled middle- and high school students. With a focus on developing self-reliance in an outdoor setting, activities include sea kayaking, sailing and climbing. The Connecting with Courage program is specifically for 12- and 13-year-old girls, while the Passages program is for 12- and 13-year-old boys.
Children just entering the precarious junior high years learn confidence-building skills such as knot tying, wind reading and boat navigation. Outward Bound Environmental Expeditions, which include science projects and ecological study, are offered to kids ages 14 to 17.
Thompson Island Outward Bound
P.O. Box 127
Boston, MA 02127
617-328-3900
thompsonisland.org
Life Adventure Center
Those looking for equine therapy and family participation will find it at Kentucky's Life Adventure Center. Featuring the largest corn maze in Kentucky, Life Adventure Center focuses on learning life skills through play. High- and low-level outdoor rope challenge courses cater to children's individual goals and abilities, while the equine program offers a 3- to 5-day program of horseback riding instruction. While children ages 9 to 16 participate in camp activities, parents can attend one-day "strengthening programs" to learn better communication skills.
Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass
570 Milner Rd
Versailles, KY 40383
859-873-3271
www.lacbg.com
Member Comments