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A Special Camp for Kids with ADHD

On the surface, it's just like every other camp: bright green grass covers the ground, laughter from the pool fills the air and kids run through the fields with smiles from ear to ear. Peer a little deeper into this scene, however, you will find that this is no ordinary camp.

Located in Riverdale, NY, the New York University Summer Program for Kids (SPK) is dedicated to helping children ages 7 to 11 with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) grow and develop in a safe, supportive environment. Here, specially trained counselors help children work on social, academic and athletic skills, and, most importantly, build self esteem and pride.

"We're considered to be a 'therapeutic day program,'" says Dr. Karen Fleiss, child psychologist and camp director. "But we're here to help each kid work on what he needs to work on."

Encouraging Growth
Throughout the eight-week session, counselors at SPK assess each child individually and develop a list of skills each needs to improve upon. For example, a child who needs to work on reading directions more carefully spends 90 minutes each morning working on academics in a classroom. Meanwhile, on the field, goals may be set to enforce teamwork or participating with the group. The camp is structured solely to help, not hinder, these children in achieving success. For example, sports-time for many other camps means letting the kids run into the field with a baseball and bat. In this situation, most children with ADHD would soon find themselves confused and frustrated.

"Kids with ADHD often do poorly in team sports. They don't like the give and take; they lose patience with waiting for their turn," says Fleiss who explains that part of the problem is that these children just don't understand the rules of the game.

So, at SPK, counselors emphasize learning one new rule every day. With a lot of positive reinforcement, each child has the opportunity to learn the rule and feel good about even the simple parts of sports, like waiting their turn and cheering on their teammates.

But the lessons go much further than the sports field.

Learning How to Be a Friend
One of the most important tools used by counselors is a camp-wide point system. Points are awarded to each child for every positive thing they do over the course of the day. These points serve as an incentive system, as the children receive rewards and special privileges when they reach different milestones.

Points are given to a child when they do something simple, like participate in a group discussion, or they can be used to reinforce the most important skills taught each day. For instance, if the day's theme is 'validation,' the counselors will discuss with each child ways they can offer validation to their friends. Points are then awarded when a child compliments another on her art project or cheers for the boy who scored a goal in soccer.

The foundation of all lessons at SPK is improving social skills. "Kids with ADHD have trouble making and keeping friends," explains Fleiss, which is why these kids so often find themselves singled out by their peers in school. Here, because every child at this camp has something to work on, the bullying and teasing that so often occurs at regular camps is kept mostly at bay.

"Kids don't feel ostracized or that they're under the microscope," says Fleiss, "Because it's a kind environment, they will take risks and try things they wouldn't normally do."

Lingering Lessons
But it's not just the kids who are taught lessons at SPK. Parents also attend classes throughout the summer to learn the techniques used by the counselors so they can be implemented in the home and ensure that the skills developed in the summer don't go to waste.

Ultimately, everyone wins.

"This was sort of a last ditch hope for us," says one parent, who enrolled her son, Teddy, in the camp after he found so many other camps to be more frustration than fun.

At first, the program didn't seem to click for Teddy either, but two weeks in, "little by little we started to see all these miraculous little improvements," she adds. "Before when I would ask Teddy to do something he'd complain, but now its 'OK mom, be ready in a minute.'"

And even the kids realize how much they have achieved.

"I think that I learned more than I ever learned, and I want to come back," says one as another chimes in, "I had a spectacular summer."