Summer camp is a fun, exciting experience for children, where they have the opportunity to form lifelong friendships, as well as grow as individuals. However, for some neurodivergent children, creating this impactful camp experience is a challenge. The roar of hundreds of campers cheering can be a source of overstimulation, and the exciting prospect of meeting loads of new friends can seem an insurmountable task for some campers.
These concerns and more were expressed by John’s parents when they enrolled him at South Shore YMCA Camp Quirk. John is a six-year-old boy with autism and limited verbal communication. “When we first mentioned the idea of Camp Quirk to John’s ABA therapist, he wanted to be very clear that there was a big possibility that John wouldn’t be successful,” said John’s parents.
Prior to this summer, John had never experienced something like Camp Quirk. At school, he was in a small group classroom and had one-to-one aid the entire school day. At camp, John would be in a group with thirty other children, he would only have one-to-one attention for a small portion of the day, and he would be interacting with other children he had never met before. With this in mind, our Camp Quirk leadership team and inclusion team have spent the summer hard at work supporting John. Our goal is to make sure he has what he needed to thrive at camp.
John has amazed and surprised us all this summer. He has successfully navigated seven weeks of camp so far, making countless memories and even more friends along the way. Simply put, John loves camp. John’s favorite camp activities include coloring, obstacle courses, and working with our Camp Quirk inclusion staff. John’s parents have also reported camp has led to him making major progress with his social and verbal skills.
I think back to the first time I met John’s parents and they said “We just want John to have fun at camp like all the other kids,” and seeing John enjoy himself at camp is such a rewarding feeling. We can’t wait to welcome John back next summer to grow and make new memories at Camp Quirk.
