Another sleepaway camp to consider - Kodiak
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Anonymous
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Hi guys - longtime participant in this forum. One thing I've been following for years on here is the recs for sleepaway camps. And we decided to take the plunge for this summer for DS age 11! He's going to be attending Camp Kodiak north of Toronto - right in the heart of camp country. I won't bore everyone with the details, but i researched a lot of camps, and got an amazing vibe on this one for our ADHD, socially challenged, but not ASD-qualifying kid. I was looking for a traditional summer camp (like the kind I attended for years) where he wouldn't be totally sidelined for his social challenges, and this one seems to fit all the things i was looking for. They said around 20% of their campers come from the US. I haven't seen this one mentioned a lot on this forum, so I wanted to put it out there for those looking at options. For sake of comparison, the other ones we were considering were Sequoia, Akeela, SOAR and Summit. Apparently, Kodiak took a big hit in repeat attendance because the lockdowns were so tight in Canada - so their numbers are still quite far down compared to past summers, so there are still open spots for anyone looking at this summer.
In any event, i won't bore everyone with the details of why we picked this camp, and of course with a SN kid, there's always a not remote chance that the whole thing is a disaster (!)..... but i did want to put it out there for others to look into. |
Anonymous
| Thanks for the suggestion! I hope your kid has a great summer. Let us know how it works out. |
Anonymous
| Thank you for sharing. I'm adding it to the list (if we can ever convince DC to go to sleepaway camp)! |
Anonymous
| Just another thanks for sharing your hard-fought research! |
Anonymous
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Huge thanks for finding this. We are going ahead with SOAR this year, and DC is excited.
You said you wouldn't bore us with why you chose this camp, but please do! It would be helpful. |
Anonymous
I also would be happy to hear this! |
Anonymous
| Op I just went and perused the site and watched their video and it seems wonderful, coming back to thank you for sharing. I’m often tempted to give up dcum forever and then gems like this keep me coming! Our son is 5 but adding it to our list and I hope you come back and share how it went. |
Anonymous
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Hey all - it's OP. Thanks for the kind words! This site can be a brutal arena much of the time, but agree it's also the only place where i consistently get kernels of usable information from those btdt.
Here's the background: DS is 11, ADHD, extremely socially challenged but not ASD because he's actually very easy going and non-rigid. If he didn't have to interact with other kids (!), he wouldn't have any problems. He's a very happy kid and thinks his relations with other kids are fine, but to an outside observer they are cringeworthy (annoying, hyper, loud, physical, weird non-sequiturs, etc). Other kids think he is super weird. I went to typical camp in Ontario for many years, and it was mostly a very positive experience. Though even for me (NT), some of those camp kids could be brutal and mean. So we knew there was NO WAY we could drop DS into a mainstream camp. DS really doesn't need any direct supports (other than med management, and some organizational help), but he does need someone to run interference for other kids! He attends a gifted school where a lot of the kids are just like him, and he has made some friends there and is not bullied. But a mainstream school or camp is a whole different ballgame. We looked at the following camps (no shade on any of them; comments are just why they weren't the right fit for DS): - SOAR - never talked to them, would likely be my backup next summer if Kodiak doesn't work out. - Summit - got feedback that these kids have more severe support needs than DS. - Sequoia - played phone tag. fyi they did mention in a vm that they were close to full for DS's age bracket, so sounds like this one is most in demand. This one sounds like the population is very similar to DS. I didn't love how it wasn't in a traditional camp setting (dorms etc), and when some folks on here said this was a plus for their kid (no bugs, only one roommate etc) i realized DS didn't have those rigidities so could probably attend a more typical camp setting if possible. - Akeela - i thought this one sounded perfect, but when i talked to the director, she said the population was mostly high functioning ASD (website said ADHD and some ASD) - and if DS was unregulated and loud/physical and not rigid, this would likely be a bad fit with the rigid kids at her camp. So we kind of got rejected from there, but better to find out early, right? We chose Kodiak because it is a traditional camp setting, in a geographic area I know really well (there are SO many camps north of toronto- there's a real culture in Ontario), and I got a great vibe from the director. The cabins are 8-9 kids plus 3 counselors sleeping in, have limited electricity and bathrooms on site. They choose cabin groups not based on age but based on personality fit - which made so much sense to me. The kids are ADHD, ASD, LDs, and also around 15% NT siblings of campers. They don't have a ton of formal supports for kids, but weave it in more organically. One counselor per cabin is employed (or studying) with SN kids during the school year. Every day there is a one hour academic period where parents choose whether to do tutoring or a softer academic skill (STEM, chess, nature, etc). The rest of the day looks like a typical camp with periods and standard activities (sailing, swimming, arts and crafts, canoeing, wilderness, etc). The camp is non-competitive (no badges, color wars etc). You have to get dressed for activities and attend, but don't have to participate. Essentially, it sounds like it straddles the place between a mainstream camp and one with accommodations and supports for SN kids - which is the sweet spot for us, since DS didn't really need a lot of supports. He just needs to be among "safe" people, and it doesn't hurt if he doesn't have to play sports and he has an adult looking out for his social needs. Pricing is also pretty typical of standard summer camps in ontario - $6k for 4 full weeks (camps in Ontario tend to be less expensive and more rustic than the "prep school" vibe of a lot of US camps). Anyhow, like so many on here know.... this could all go terribly wrong! Though if that happens, dare i say it is probably just a bad fit and not any fault of the camp. I don't have recent first hand reviews of the camp, but a friend of my mom is a retired SN educator and she could vouch for the camp's excellent reputation 10+ years ago. I hope this is helpful! And a plea to anyone who might be inclined to write something snippy in a reply.... please don't. We're really excited about trying this and don't need any bad mojo at this point. Thanks! |
Anonymous
| Only sending good vibes over here. I know you keep saying it could go bad, but I really think it is going to go great! The camp sounds well prepared for your child's needs. He sounds very similar to my son and all your reasoning on the other camps made total sense to me so I really will be keeping this in my back pocket! |
Anonymous
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Hi all - this is OP back again with an update..... DS *loved* Camp Kodiak this summer!!!
He spent 4 weeks total at camp. Read all the background upthread for why we picked this camp for DS! I am fairly hands off with DS - he doesn't have a lot of support needs, and he's extremely easy going/low anxiety about new things. His SN are more of how he comes across to others, annoys others, gets teased, etc. So once we dropped DS off at the bus stop (and he was very excited), I sort of washed my hands of the four week experience, figuring that if there was a problem, camp would call me. But otherwise, assume that worst case, he was "fine but not having a lot of fun". And more likely case he was having a mostly good time. The kids send almost no letters home, and camp posts Facebook pics (which obviously only show the kids having tons of fun), and otherwise I just trusted that the system was working. And it was! I know that another kid in the cabin, his mom was more nervous and called several times to get feedback - which camp is happy to do. They do send a 5 page writeup home from the counselor to let you know how they did at the end of summer. Anyhow, long story short, we got no calls home and DS had an awesome time, and it's exactly what we hoped for: A traditional camp (swimming, campfires, arts and crafts, canoeing etc) where they just soften the edges a bit to make it more accommodating for kids with different social needs. So no competition, no badges (in fact, DS came home with a bunch of "This Certificate certifies that Larlo participated in Archery" lol), and activities are optional (but you have to get dressed for and attend everything). DS described the kids as pretty similar to kids at his (nerdy, quirky) gifted school, but when telling stories, you definitely pick up on kids having minor social SNs. Like, one kid had frequent bad tantrums, and another was moody, and there was a mean bully in another cabin who arbitrarily picked on DS's cabin. And in the Facebook pics, some of the older kids looked a bit more HFA. When we did bus drop off, one kid was having major elopement (parents would be walking him to the bus, and about 10 feet away, he would just bolt), and the counselors and directors were working gently with the mom to sort it out for 30 minutes (eventually, with mom's permission, they physically put him on the bus). DS is not an eloper, but seeing the camp in action for that kid made me feel like the kids were in good hands. My only "cons" on the camp were (i) kids are allowed to bring and have 20 mins/day of screen time (DS would have been fine going without); and (ii) the counselors seemed a bit more hands on for activities than we were as kids (eg horseback riding only with a counselor holding onto the reins; pottery involved the counselor ultimately painting and baking the piece; glass making involved the counselor ultimately welding it together). I don't know if that's just 2023, or if that's because kids needed more assistance, but DS would have liked a bit more independence (but he wasn't complaining either). DS came home a Chatty Cathy (very unlike him) and only positive things to say (though admittedly, he's a super positive kid). I felt like he was in good hands. As far as international kids, they told me about 30% of the kids are international (and DS mentioned several kids from the US and UK). You have the choice of doing pick up and drop off at camp (3-4 hours drive north of Toronto), bus pick up/drop off in Toronto, or I think they also coordinated picking kids up from the airport/getting them on planes. The bus drop off (which we did) took them back to the airport, and I gather some kids were immediately checked in to fly unaccompanied home, and some parents flew in that morning from elsewhere in Canada/USA, got their kid from the bus and hopped right back on a plane. Anyhow, I know parents on here are always looking for camps for their SN kids, and we highly recommend Kodiak. Feel free to ask any questions ..... |
Anonymous
| I didn't see Camp Howe mentioned in OP's list to consider. My kids (one NT, one not) did it and liked it. I found it well organized and kids are interested in attending again. I got the name from this forum so thanks to whomever recommended it. |
Anonymous
| Congrats on a successful summer! I just took a look at the website. The camp looks great. With the CAD xrate, it puts the camp within NT camp range. |
Anonymous
| Wonderful OP!! |
Anonymous
| OP, thank you so much for this! I truly, truly appreciate it. If you feel comfortable, would you mind sharing the name of your DC’s school? My son sounds exactly like yours, and the stress of his current school situation is eating me up and straining my marriage. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!!! |
Anonymous
OP here - sorry but we no longer live in the DC area! |