Vol. 12, issue 11, Page 17
Issue Date: March 18, 2002
CAMP FUN AND GAINSTM
Leaping Forward with fun, friends, and focus on function…
By Robyn Becker M.S., CCC/SLP
As the snow falls and the wind blows outside, the staff of Princeton Speech-Language and Learning Center has its
thoughts on summer fun and warm breezes. Our
excitement mounts as we begin to plan for our 5th summer of Camp
Fun and Gains, recipient of the Outstanding Camp Award from Exceptional
Parent Magazine. Our
therapeutic summer camp offers preschool and early elementary school children an
experience that builds confidence in an inviting, structured, and enriching
environment. Working in small,
cohesive groups on communication, social, and motor abilities, we delight in
watching our campers’ personalities blossom as we help cultivate their
self-esteem. The Princeton
Speech-Language and Learning Center therapeutic summer program is held
on the grounds of a beautiful, new preschool campus in close proximity to our
Center and run under the direction of the Princeton
Speech-Language and Learning Center staff.
Our staff consists of: certified speech-language pathologists, educators,
and occupational therapists.
Terri Rossman, M.S., CCC/SLP, Director of Princeton
Speech-Language and Learning Center, explained that the idea of creating
Camp Fun and Gains was borne
out of the vision that “summer is an ideal time to provide our clients with
the opportunity to participate in an intensive, multi-disciplinary program in a
fun camp setting.” Many
children’s special needs may otherwise not be met in a traditional camp
program. A therapeutic camp is able
to provide a safe, structured environment to hone social communication skills,
help build friendships, address fine/gross motor skills and improve sensory
integration. Our specialized camp
experience empowers therapists to provide speech/language and occupational
therapies outside of the treatment room. The
structure, frequency, and functional nature of the camp program promote
generalization and carry-over of therapeutic techniques.
Princeton Speech-Language and Learning Center campers
experience a wide range of activities, which are incorporated and reinforced
within weekly language themes. Each
theme is explored using interactive, functional, and hands-on activities, which
are divided into class periods. A
typical camp day includes a circle time in which the daily or weekly theme is
introduced using songs and stories; movement time during which the children
stretch and “shake their sillies out;” and a structured language lesson in
which receptive and expressive language goals are addressed incorporating the
weekly/daily theme. In addition, a multi-sensory craft activity is completed each
day which highlights language concepts (e.g., vocabulary building and following
directions), fine motor (e.g., cutting and holding a crayon) and sensory
integration skills (e.g., dipping a finger into a plate of glue using just one
finger at a time). During our
weekly cooking activity, the children enjoy nutritious treats, which are used to
encourage tolerance of a variety of textures and tastes.
Time is spent each day learning various outdoor games and providing
sports instruction in a non-competitive atmosphere.
In addition to addressing children’s language and motor goals, these
activities provide the perfect opportunity to emphasize teamwork and
cooperation.
Sensory integration activities such as shaving cream painting,
“feely” rice boxes, and finger painting are incorporated into almost every
aspect of the camp day. Individualized “sensory diets” are created by the
occupational therapist for campers as needed.
Social communication skill-building, a major theme of the camp day,
focuses on concepts ranging from sharing and social greetings to conversational
skills and turn-taking.
Camp Fun and Gains
invites a wide variety of specialists to visit camp weekly to complement the
curriculum: cymbals clang, drums roll, and singing voices can be heard
throughout the camp as the children move to the rhythm of the beat with the
music and drama teachers. The Little Gym on Wheels TM program
reinforces the gross motor work done throughout the week by providing gymnastics
instruction to further strengthen motor planning and sequencing. The children go horseback riding, which always receives
a positive response, as their self-esteem is nurtured and balance and
attentional skills improve.
Special time and effort is taken to help ensure that each group’s
children have similar skills and needs. Each
group of eight children is assigned one speech pathologist and one occupational
therapist. During the first week of
camp, the therapists formulate goals delineating the needs of each camper by
identifying short-term objectives in areas such as speech, receptive language,
expressive language, social skills, attention, gross motor, fine motor, and
sensory integration. Written
progress summaries are provided several times throughout the summer and are
discussed with parents. Daily
communication with our campers’ parents facilitates home carry-over of
therapeutic techniques. Our weekly
group newsletter details the week’s activities, informs parents about upcoming
events, and lauds the weekly accomplishments of each camper.
Several parents have succeeded in receiving insurance reimbursement for
camp tuition. Additionally, some
school districts have provided funding for a child to attend Camp Fun and Gains as part of their extended school year
program.
Over the past four summers, parents have praised Princeton
Speech-Language and Learning Center’s Camp Fun and Gains.
On a recent camp evaluation form, one parent wrote:
“Our son is more confident when he speaks.
He is better able to listen to instructions and follow directions.
He is ready and excited about his upcoming school year.”
Parents looking for a summer camp experience for their children don’t
need to look any further; now parents can envision all the fun and exciting
summertime activities their child can do- all while continuing to work on their communication, social,
and motor skills.
This year’s Camp Fun and Gains
will run from July 7 to August 14, 2003 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday - 9 am to
12 noon on the grounds of the New Horizons Montessori School in Montgomery, NJ. For
more information, please contact Princeton
Speech Language and Learning Center at
(609) 924-7080 or e-mail TerriR@psllcnj.com.
