Summer Camp Options Becoming More Exotic

This year's summer camps will offer more travel to more exotic places, more community service, more career-oriented programs, more academics, and more for ages 11 to 14 years, according to a new report from a camp advisory service.

Carey Rivers, director of "Tips on Trips and Camps," reports that programs in 2008 will range from going to India to build schools, career internships on college campuses, learning unusual languages like Arabic in foreign countries, and traveling to places like Madagascar or El Salvador. The camps are designing more such programs for middle school students.

Ms. Rivers said that another trend is "gap year camps." These are yearlong programs for students who have just completed high school and want to take a year off for travel and adventure before entering college.

Camp Huntington is a special needs camps for boys and girls. Located in upstate New York, Camp Huntington serves campers with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, ADD/HD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Apsperger's, PDD, and other special needs.

Summer Camp Can Improve Structure and Maturity

Many parents of kids with ADHD are hesitant about medication, but don't know if there are any alternatives. One possibility is a summer camp program designed specifically for kids with ADHD.

"Because the summer months, when school lets out, break the structure, pace and expectations of daily living, children with ADHD do not perform well in summer months. Leaving an ADHD child at home, during the summer, can lead to maladaptive behavior and often results in a difficult transition back into the academic setting in the fall. Finding a summer camp that is specifically designed for ADHD children is important to keeping structure in your child's life."

Separation anxiety is not uncommon in ADHD children, particularly if they've never been away from home before. Expect this and be prepared to reassure you child. An appropriately structured summer camp can result in increased emotional and behavioral maturity.

Camp Huntington special needs summer camps offer programs for children with ADHD, Asperger's, and Autism. Find a complete list of summer camps at SummerCampsInfo.com.