Ask the Expert: How Does Sleepaway Camp Help Children With ADHD Develop Better Decision Making Skills?

Sending your child with ADHD to summer camp or a travel program can be nerve-wracking. Eugene Bell, Ed.M. of Summit Camp offers advice for parents on how to worry less about summer programs geared towards children with ADHD and special needs, and how sleepaway programs can help children with ADHD learn decision making skills.

 How does sleepaway camp help my child with ADHD develop better decision-making skills?

We give the kids guided practice and our activities are done in an atmosphere where there are greater opportunities for practice. They’re put in an environment to make decisions and personal choices but we emphasize safe failure. When we feel safe, we’re more apt to take a risk and try new things.

In our [Summit Camp’s] travel programs, we recognize that kids need structure and clarity. We have rehearsal conversations the night before an outing to talk about what the kids will be doing the next day. We make them aware of different choices they’ll have to make, like what options will be at a food court, how much money they’ll spend, and what the weather will be like. It also gives the kids an opportunity to demonstrate leadership if they’ve had experience before.

Our kids do much better when they have been prepared for a situation. We also do a debriefing afterwards and talk about the highs and lows of the day. The communication and conversation with children is very important.
 

My daughter, who has ADHD, is going away to travel camp for the first time this summer. I am assured that she will be nurtured by specially trained counselors and will be learning independence, but we're worried—do you have any words of wisdom to calm jittery parents?