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4841 Designing a Successful Social Skills Summer Camp

Thursday, July 8, 2010: 1:00 PM-2:15 PM

Reunion G (Hyatt Regency Dallas)

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One of the most crucial needs for students with autism is the development of appropriate social skills. This session will feature a documentary detailing the process of planning and implementing a social skills summer camp utilizing research-based strategies and a Western movie starring campers with autism. Presenters will guide participants in considering ways they could develop a social skills camp in their communities.

This presentation was done in a 90-minute format at the Texas Autism Conference. The documentary and a segment of the movie the students made will be the bulk of the presentation. After the media presentations, the following information will be discussed:

Overview: How the camp came to be

Teacher Training: Professional development for general education teachers who served as camp counselors

Funding: Sources that were utilized

Registration: The process for selecting students on the spectrum and others who were not

Group Leaders: Criteria for selection

Strategies: Schedules, behavior maps, Social Stories, etc., will be explained in the context in which they were used.

Parent Involvement: Script, behavior map and Social Story were sent home ahead of time. Parents were asked to review each item with their child and work through scenarios, such as not getting the desired movie role.

Community Involvement: Universities, individuals, museums, etc., volunteered their time and resources, such as horses, a covered wagon, a chuck wagon, pottery making, archery, quill writing, butter churning, singing old songs to banjos, etc.

Donations: Food, t-shirts, media coverage, etc.

Showtime: How we were able to get an actual movie crew, how parents were invited to watch the movie

Sensory Issues: It was over 100 degrees outside...how did we cope?

Social Skills: Will discuss the specific social skills we targeted

You Too Can Have a Successful Social Skills Camp: Will guide participants to consider resources in their own communities

Learning Objectives:

Participants will learn about resources and strategies for teaching social skills.
Participants will learn a process for planning, funding and implementing a social skills summer camp.

Content Area: Social Skills

Presenters:

Melissa Richardson, M.Ed.
Autism Consultant
Region XIV Education Service Center

Melissa is an autism specialist in Abilene, TX, where she consults with 42 school districts. Melissa is the founder and co-chair of the West Texas Autism Walk and the CEO of Eccentrically-speaking, a social communication website for adults with social challenges.

Melissa Burson, B.S.
Teacher
Haskell C. I.S.D.

Missy is a Head Start teacher in Haskell, Texas. She has four children, including a teenage daughter with autism.

Jan Oden, M.Ed.
Educational Diagnostician
Abilene I.S.D.

Jan is an Educational Diagnostician for the Abilene Independant School District. She worked as a special education teacher for many years where she taught many students with autism.

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