Most children with learning difficulties can do well in almost any summer program. Without the stress of classroom demands, these children can enjoy recreational activities and build important self esteem and social skills as they interact with their peers. The American Camp Association, which accredits numerous camps, is an helpful resource for finding a camp program. It also has a separate section of its website with information about what families should look for in a camp and lists of camps that fit specific criteria.
Other children, however, need a special setting for summer because their behavior, attention or learning issues make it difficult for them to manage in a typical camp environment. Although the break from school is often a welcome relief, it also means the loss of structure and social contacts for these children and increased supervision and stress for their parents. Fortunately, there are an increasing number of summer programs designed for children and adolescents with learning differences and accompanying behavioral issues.
These camps include:
Summit Camp, in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. We have visited this impressive but expensive program and seen it in action. The information on the website gives an accurate feel for the kind of child the camp serves and the programs Summit offers.
Camp Kehilla and Kehilla Kayyf are programs of the Jewish Community Center in Roslyn, New York, designed for “high-functioning children and teens with minimal learning disabilities, speech and language delays” and other issues. The day camp program, for younger campers, is located at the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds in Huntington, New York. The sleep-away program for pre-teens and teens is located in Poyntelle, Pennsylvania.
In addition, a number of private schools and a few colleges have summer programs. These include the Kildonan School, the Landmark School in Massachusetts, Winston Prep School (both in New York and Connecticut), and Landmark College in Vermont.
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