How to Find a Great ADHD Summer Camp or Program for Children

By Megan Johnson

Posted: January 14, 2009

January is the season to choose a summer camp, and parents of children with ADHD face special challenges in finding an ADHD camp or ADHD summer treatment program that's right for their child.

Some ADHD programs are traditional camps that emphasize learning appropriate behavior and social skills. Others are summer treatment programs at university medical centers, geared for children with learning, emotional, or behavior problems. These programs are often modeled after treatment practices designed by William Pelham, a research psychologist at the State University of New York—Buffalo. Here's how to find a great ADHD summer program:

1. Get good advice. Ask for recommendations from your pediatrician and local CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) support group.

2. Use the Web. Visit the American Camp Association's website and cast a net for accredited camps in your area for kids with ADHD. MySummerCamps.com and other camp sites allow ADHD-specific camp searches.

3. Find out how the camp handles ADHD-specific issues. Jar Lampard, a health information leader at CHADD's National Resource Center on ADHD, suggests asking how the camp will help your child manage ADHD. Is there a medical professional, such as a nurse, on staff to administer medications? Is there a behavior plan or a coping strategy to deal with behavior issues? Does their procedure include a parent phone call? If it's a therapeutic program, what is their treatment model?

4 . Don't discount locals. Targeted programs for ADHD might not be a tailored fit for your child. Consider contacting local private and public schools to see if they offer summer programs for kids with learning disabilities.

Here are some camps and summer treatment programs for kids with ADHD:

ADHD Camps

Check out Camp Buckskin at www.campbuckskin.com

Our Program focuses on helping young people with social skill or academic difficulties (ADD,AD/HD, LD, Asperger's and similar) to experience greater success. Our camper's become more successful as they gain knowledge and improve key skills or abilities. This growth is directly related to making changes in the mindset/attitude and the associated habits or behavior that have hindered their performance.

Camp provides a structured mix of traditional camp and some academic activities each day, in addition to a comprehensive Personal Growth program which addresses social skill development. This program helps our campers learn to build and maintain positive peer relations and to improve their problem sloving/coping skills. We also work to help them to become more self reliant, to take increase responsibility for self and actions. As a result of this growth and changes, our campers return home with greater self confidence and strengthened self concept.

Summer 2010 will be our 52nd summer helping young people to learn and grow. We invite you to consider how our program can help your child/student/client to change now which will benefit them for many years to come!

Visit our website for more information or to contact us!

Camp Buckskin of MN @ Oct 29, 2009 16:00:38 PM

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