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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My kid has different issues, but I've worked at both mainstream and special needs camps.

My advice would be to look at the ASD-specific camps, particularly since your DS is in a mainstream private. It's not that he can't "handle" mainstream camp, it's that there is value in being someplace where other kids are like him, counselors have chosen to work with kids like him, and where he doesn't have to "mask" his ASD.

Summer camp should be a place where kids can just be themselves, and for kids with special needs, there's a lot to be said about putting them in an environment actually designed for them rather than it being another place they have to fit themselves into. [/quote]

Interesting concept. If a kid with ASD has been in mainstream public and seem to fit in with okay friendship and okay grades,  should parents also consider ASD-specific camp? Are ASD-specific camp less competitive and does less activities than others, how do parents know if their kids fit in if kid is really high functioning but quirky, not sure if kid try hard to fit in mainstream in school or not?[/quote]

PP here. I was specifically thinking about how OP said her child didn't have many friends. Maybe I'm projecting, but that made me think that he's usually in situations where he is the quirkiest kid in the room.

I saw kids like that at the camps where I worked (nowhere near here, so I don't have good recommendations for East Coast) and they really thrived in situations where they were middle-of-the-pack quirky. More importantly, they developed friendships that lasted longer than the camp session. I would imagine that's even easier now that they could exchange Minecraft IDs and stay in touch via computer games or whatever interests them.

For me it also comes down to Disability Pride. He's going to be on the spectrum for the rest of his life. Now is a good time to develop some relationships with adults (camp counselors in this case) who are ALSO on the spectrum and who have fulfilling lives. Basically, I'd look for a camp catering to kids with ASD, where the kids come back summer after summer, and where some campers go on to become counselors. It's a tall order but I think it could be a revelation for a kid who spends most of their time trying to fit their ASD self into a non-ASD world. [/quote]

Do you have recommendations, even if not on the east coast? I would travel for what you describe. (Not the OP)[/quote]

I've heard good things about Summit, Akeela, and Sequoia. No personal expereince, though.[/quote]

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