Summer camps for kids with ADHD

[Chris_Craig]

Has anyone sent their kid(s) to overnight summer camp programs specializing in children with ADHD vs general overnight camps? I'm contemplating it for next summer when my son is 10, but he's only ever been away from home overnight for extended periods of time to his grandparents in the summer.

[Deesol]

Hello I was just reading about a camp called Soar. It is posted on the CHADD website. Sounds like a great camp however I am not certain about the entry age.

[Crunchby]

Great question. Mine is 11 and went for a week to a location YMCA camp. They kept her busy and we had no issues.. Trust me I was waiting for "the call". What I saw was the had a lot of counselors and kept kids active constantly. Good luck!

[Chris_Craig in reply to Crunchby]

Thanks. I think the ratio of counselor to kid is one of the key issues I was looking at too.

[katcald]

Hey, my son went to SOAR ADHD camp last year (he was almost 10)

It was very expensive and I'm not sure it was worth it. He liked it okay, but it was a bit too long for him (12 days). Going in they had him analyze/rate things he was going to work on (making friends, following directions, etc) and at the end he rated it again (how well do you do these things?) and the ratings he gave were lower! (So it was totally worthless because he was too young to understand it!) Afterward, His behavior was no different/there was no growth we could see. On the plus side, there were a lot of counselors to campers, and they knew how to deal with ADHD kids. Plus, since everyone has ADHD he didn't stand out as the "different" kid. Bottom line, it's fine but expensive.

[Chris_Craig in reply to katcald]

Thanks. I am particularly weighing the cost vs benefit of such programs. Appreciate the feedback.

[rissay]

Our son did Camp Ozark at 10, which was just as expensive as Soar. Many stay away camps that last a couple weeks cost a few thousand. My son felt like he didn’t stand out at Soar the way he did at a “normal” camp like Ozark. most of the kids were kinda socially awkward like my son. He had a great time, and they explored the mountains in NC. For us, it was worth it. They do offer financial aid, too.