--Topping the list of successes for Andrew is sleep away camp, which he has enjoyed since age eight. Yes, eight! He spent a week at The Southampton Fresh Air Home, a camp for physically challenged kids located on Long Island (NY), and then "graduated" to their three-week-program at age ten. As Andrew told me just last night, "I miss you when I'm at SFAH, but it's good because I get to do things on my own." Yes, I cried! Wonderful time for Andrew's growth and development; great for the rest of our family to bond and thrive by enjoying things we can't do when he's with us.We all love SFAH!
--Day camps have also been beneficial. He started with a six-week-program at our local Jewish Community Center (which accepts children of all religions and abilities), and we identified a great male aide (college student/athlete) from Abilis (formerly ARC of Greenwich). They bonded so well that we actually visited Kevin at college the following year. Kevin and the other counselors adapted everything to meet Andrew's physical limitations, and worked hard to help Andrew develop friendships with the other campers, whom he remains in contact with today.
--Next we tried what Andrew calls "Cerebral Palsy Camp." It was a local conductive education camp that employed two Hungarian therapists for an all-day, intensive therapy program that lasted six weeks. Six hours of rigorous treatment, followed by two hours of computers and swimming at a nearby CP Center. One of the therapists actually lived with our family for two weeks and my parents visited her in Hungary. (Are you seeing a trend here??!) She was lovely, but Andrew hated it! He cried everyday and just seemed overwhelmed by all the physical demands. They tried to make it social and fun, but it was just really hard for him. We continued some of the conductive ed treatment over the next two years after school; however, we decided Andrew needed more fun and less work during our relatively short summer (10 weeks).
--Throughout the above summers, we worked with the school system to identify tutors with whom Andrew could work on "off" hours. This enabled him to participate in camp and still gain valuable academic instruction to prevent regression. After second grade, we decided to enroll him in our public school district's extended school year program. He attended a grouped class for remedial math and reading instruction taught by a teacher he knows. Four hours a day, supplemented with OT, PT and speech services (and then he did things with friends/family each afternoon). We're glad we tried it with the district, but we opted to return to the tutoring approach for subsequent summers. This really has provided more benefits to Andrew and helped him retain all that he's learned throughout the previous school year. Key is figuring out what your child needs (both instructionally and as a kid "off" from school for the summer), and then working with your school district to arrange something that helps meet those needs. Never easy, that's for sure.
--Something else we know about, but haven't yet participated in, is a camp experience for kids like Andrew and their siblings. One of Andrew's aquatic therapists started it several years ago for a week in late August. Everyone we know who goes there thinks it's incredible. Check it out!
Lastly, we have hired local college kids over the year to help provide an extra set of hands with Andrew while I am scurrying about with the other kids. This has always worked out really well. I've posted "want ads" on college job boards for students studying OT, PT, special education, etc. It's time-consuming and a little stressful looking for the "right" person, but always worth the effort. Summer comes but once a year, right?
Let me know what you do to make the most of yours.
No comments:
Post a Comment