YMCA Summer camp, week 1

The end of the school year, with Autism One local to us, transitioning into camp ALL over the same 4 days made for a bit of chaos.  So I didn't get to share the annual letter to camp about Dominic.  That is below - This is Dominics last year at daycamp unless I convince them to make an exception next year based upon his developmental age.  12 is the oldest they usually take. 

Dominic had a wonderful week - according to his counselors he loves the pool (we know) and does all kinds of cool fish looking moves.  He actually participated in the bowling field trip which is blowing my mind. Apparently the counselor with him got the kiddie bowling ramp (I have no idea what its really called), set it up for him, and he LOVED putting the ball on  it and watching it go.  She then took him to a rollercoaster simulator in the arcade that he loved too.  When I picked him up tonight the first words out of his mouth were "trip fun".  Its so nice to have reports that he's participating because we haven't seen that much in summers past - he would parallel, and hang out near the group but rarely join in.

We've done footbaths after every swimming day, and I think thats helping his behavior because the water reeks of chlorine after. 

We continue to see small, interesting nuances and gains with the nano cbd we are on - I'm thusfar smitten with this product. We'll see how we do long term. I need more folks to sign up under me to help me afford it.

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Annual Camp letter

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 12 years old and goes  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.  His preferred peer group is usually younger than he is, and he will play beautifully with them.  Dominic pretty much always has fidget toys (small animals) in his hands/pockets.  If he gets tremendously upset and you cannot figure out why, odds are good he's lost one.  Its a good idea to have him show them to you each day so you can tell if one is missing.

~ 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 or pizza 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.

~ Dominic has had braces now for just a few months.  In his backpack are a toothbrush and toothpaste.  Please remind him to brush his teeth after lunch and provide the appropriate time for him to do so.  We will have to pull him out a few times over the summer for braces adjustments and will let you know prior.

~ He has not eloped in many years, however he does tend to wander towards the edge of the group and as such has a GPS tracker attached to his pocket. If he goes missing for any reason, text us immediately as we will be able to locate him with the tracker.

~ 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.

~ He does NOT need assistance dressing or tying his shoes, however he takes a little longer and can get distracted easily - a verbal prompt is all that is needed. 

~  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.