Kai Goes to Overnight Camp

A few weeks ago, our friends who have two boys with autism told us about an overnight camp for kids with special needs. They said that their boys attended last year and wanted to go again. As Kai has had many playdates with one of the boys, Timothy, it sounded like a potentially good opportunity for Kai so we asked him if he was interested in going. When he learned that Timothy would be there, he said he wanted to go.

Kai has been on overnight camps through his school the past two years. But those were for one night each whereas this would be for three nights. And unlike the camp through school, there would be no staff at this camp who were familiar with Kai and the nuances of his behavior.

So we were a little nervous as the days to the camp drew near. This camp was run by a Christian organization and we were especially concerned that Kai would be disrespectful or say something inappropriate during religious class or when the group was saying a prayer. We spoke to him repeatedly that he needed to show respect, and that it would be good for him to learn something new.

But telling him and having him actually do what we say are two different things. So, our anxiety did not dissipate.

On Tuesday, my wife dropped Kai off at the camp. Each camper was assigned a personal counselor, and Kai's was a high school student. My wife said that she was very nice, as were all the staff she met.

During Kai's last camp through school, he sent several texts throughout the day including one where he said he wanted to go home. But on this day, we did not get a text from him until just before his bedtime.

We were relieved that he thought that things were going okay.

The next day, we again did not hear from him until late in the evening. That was a good sign. This time his message was even more positive than the one he had sent the first night.

He had won third place in the talent show. Ahead of the camp, we were wracking our brains trying to think of what Kai could do at the talent show. Finally, my wife remembered that as a young boy he had memorized the periodic table. We asked Kai if he still remembered it, and whether he would want to recite it as his talent for the show. He said he did, and reviewed all the elements ahead of time to refresh his memory.

Meanwhile, back at home, my wife and I took the opportunity to have a date night. We went out for dinner at a South American restaurant in our area. My wife had a Brazilian skirt steak.

I had Churrascos, a dish that included skirt steak, chicken breast, and Brazilian sausage.

Camp ended today and we got the full report from Kai when he got home. He said the food was great, the pool was awesome, and he had a good time and wants to go again next year. Here he is holding a dvd of Shrek the Third which was his prize for the talent show.

Kai's camp counselor said that Kai got upset only once, when his team lost some activity, but that overall he did very well and enjoyed the camp very much.

So, we are very relieved and happy.

It was a very good camp experience for Kai.