Summer Camp!!!

So we have just finished week 1 of Summer camp, and with all the stuff I needed to post last week about Autism One, activism, the Grandparents book, etc - I didn't do my annual post of the letter I send in with Dominic.

This years has changed a bit... he's tying his own shoes so is entirely independent in dressing now.
He's much more verbal.  He's much more social.

Couple of Highlights from week 1
~on day 2, the counselor told me that he did his own art project, entirely independently.  (this is huge), and that he created a game where he runs up and down the hill and the other kids yell "ready, set, go" and give him high fives.  The whole reason we are doing Y camp is for social interaction.

~ on day 4, they told me that he made friends with a younger child and they "read" together, looking at pictures and talking about them.  He also made his art project, which is not a preferred activity

So here's the letter that I sent in....

Things that The Y Camp counselors need to know about Dominic.

~  Dominic has an Autism diagnosis, and his primary area of trouble is speech. He is verbal and is starting to become conversational.   He CAN speak and you SHOULD encourage him to use his words to ask for things.  This may mean you have to slow down and perhaps ask a question twice before he will answer, but he is able to give you a yes/no, answer his name, say "Good Morning", etc.  He may need prompting to say that he is 11 years old and will be going to Galileo Middle school. 

He has a deep love of animals and is fascinated by all things sciencey.  He also loves heavy gross motor play (climbing wall, jumping, swimming) and will catch on quickly to games.  We expect his participation in group activities this year.   If questions are being asked (eg, in a group introduction time) – he’ll need some prompting to say things.  For gross motor stuff (structured outside play), he’ll catch on quick, but will need some patience.

~ Dominic is allergic to Gluten, Dairy, Soy, and artificial colors.  You are NOT to allow him to eat anything that we did not send from home. In his lunch box, you’ll find snacks (2) and lunch. It is iced and will be fine without refrigeration, and does not need to be heated up.   He can drink water, please do not give him juice / milk / soda / sports drinks.  If you plan to do something like ice cream with the group, please tell us the day before and we will send in an allergy free equivalent so that he can participate.  we are happy to send in additional non perishable snacks, just grab one of us and let us know.

~ Last summer there were a few times that he went inside the lobby and sat down, with counselors not noticing.  This is unacceptable because we really want you all making sure he is included in the activities.  He does not elope in the sense of running away / hiding, but just in case we are putting a GPS tracker on him. It will be in his pocket when we get it sorted out.

~ Regarding Swimming:   Dominic loves the water and will probably BEG to go swimming as soon as he realizes it’s a regular part of the program.   Being that water is very calming for him, and he does not like to get out.  He has some rudimentary water ability and we would love to have him actually learn to swim this summer so he can hang out in the deep end.

~  Dominic has absolutely blossomed the past year cognitively and socially so we expect that he will have a fantastic summer.  Should you have ANY questions or concerns about how to best interact with him and keep him safe, please ask either Mom or Dad at pick up or drop off.

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Due to private speech and occupational therapy schedule we will be picking up Dominic Early on Thursday each week. On Thursday, we will pick him up at 4pm.  Please ensure that if you plan to be gone later than this time on a field trip that you tell us at least 2 days before so we can cancel his private therapy.