Intensive Therapeutic Winter-Break Day Camp
2016-2017

Our program is designed for children and teens between the ages of 5-14, who are “mainstreamed” and would benefit from a small intensive therapeutic social skills based camp experience in Boca Raton.

Develop those skills needed for a lifetime of happiness and productivity in a safe and exciting “camp” setting.

Sessions

Session 1 Session 2 Fee
December 26-30 January 2-6 $495 per week (discounts for siblings)

We are an approved Gardiner (PLSA) Provider

Sample Schedule

Time Activity
8:30-9:15 Camper drop-off
8:30-9:40 Group Free Play
9:40-10:00 Focusing activity (stretch, yoga, breathing exercise)
10:00-11:00 Art therapy/Team building
11:00-11:15 Snack Time
11:15-12:00 Social Skills activity
12:00-12:30 Lunch
12:30 1:00 Music therapy/board games/
1:00-1:45 Sensory activity, movement activity
1:45-2:15 Snack, Quiet time (reading time, group play)
2:15-2:30 Wrap-up/Review
2:30-3:30 Group Play, Art, Music, Board Games, Reading
3:30-4:00 Parent pick-up*
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Scheduling Your Time

Scheduling Your Time 

Your time is valuable, so you should treat it that way. Your schedule can get busy and sometimes it can seem like there are not enough hours in the day. But when that happens, we just need to take a step back, and manage our time effectively. When we schedule our time and resources in a way that benefits us and aides in becoming better organized, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish, because, “The Sky’s The Limit”.

Have a Master Calendar

It can seem like a good idea to have several calendars for every area of life, but when you use more than one at a time, it’s easy to get them confused. With multiple calendars, you can run the risk of double booking events or miss important appointments. Instead, get one calendar and put it somewhere you can see it every day, such as in your technology, on the refrigerator or hanging by the front door. Write all of your personal, school, and work reminders on it, including deadline dates, appointments, events, tests, and reminders. When you use one calendar for everything you do, you are not only able to manage your time better, but you can get rid of the paper reminders you have posted everywhere.

Use Technology

Cozi is one example of a free “app” that can be used by individual or families to coordinate daily events and things to-do. Complete with an automatic “sync” function to Apple© products, Cozi© is a real-time calendar, to-do-list, shopping list, and journal. 

Setting Deadlines

When scheduling our time, deadlines provide a sense of structure and balance for us. While every person responds to deadlines differently, they are a key tool to better time management. By setting deadlines, you are putting a concrete need in your schedule, and it helps prevent it from being forgotten or lost in the near future. They give us a sense of accountability when it comes to things we either want or need to get done. So whether you write them on a calendar or program them into a mobile device, the next time you plan to do something, set yourself a deadline first and stick to it. You’ll find that when you take the time to schedule them, you are more likely to make time for other things.

Tips when setting deadlines:

Keep your deadlines in arm’s reach – write them down where you will see them

Set periodic reminders – give yourself reminders that a deadline approaches

Pad your actual deadline a little – give yourself some extra wiggle room

Remove or Limit the Time Wasters

A time waster is something that can distract you or take away from the task at hand. They can occur at home, school, or at work. Removing or even limiting some of these wasters can improve your concentration and help you stay focused on what you want or need to do. They can include personal time wasters, such as excessive; checking messages, texting, social media, searching the web, or watching videos, or can even be as simple as wasting extra time to go look for that extra pencil. Practice cutting or limiting one thing that distracts you the most. Give yourself a set time that you will not let these things distract you or take away from your current responsibilities. You’ll be amazed how taking these small steps will improve your time management.

Some common time wasters and distractions:

• Excessively checking email/text/phone messages

• Social media

• Boredom or daydreams

• Extra time spent away from your work area

• Extra time spent looking for things

• Taking on extra projects

Coping with Things Outside of Your Control

There are many things in life that we cannot control, such as an illness, rude or mean people, and especially the weather. But we learn to cope with them every day and adapt ourselves to them. You can control how you react to certain circumstances and setbacks. When we are faced with something we realize we cannot change or control, the key to dealing with it is to, first, accept it. Once you have accepted that you cannot change the fact that it rained on your beach day or that someone almost rear ended you in traffic, we can learn to cope with them by remembering what we can control. You can control what alternative plan you have for beach day and you can control how you choose to respond to the rude driver. Focusing on what you can control rather than what you can’t will help you feel more empowered and less likely to let other obstacles overcome you.

Excerpt taken from the “Organization Skills for High School, College, and Career Readiness” course offered at the Support for Students Growth Center in Boca Raton, Florida.

https://www.supportforstudentsgrowthcenter.com/high-school-college-and-career-readiness-program/

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Helping Children with “Special Needs” Whether the Storm

Our children with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, behavior, communication and other life challenges tend to be most functional and calm and happy when they are able to have predictability in life. There are few things more unpredictable than a tropical storm, hurricane, tornado or other natural catastrophe. Those of us who live in an area where these types of events occur know first hand how traumatizing these events can be for our children. I will present several suggestions to help our children whether the unpredictable weather. 

Parents and siblings can help our children during times of storms and other events by keeping the emotional wellbeing of our children in mind. 

– Keep a positive tone to talk about the storm and keep the focus on the things you and they are able to do.

– Be direct and loving by calmly and factually discuss what a hurricane is “A big rain storm with high winds that can be very noisy . . .”

– You know your child’s anxieties, discuss the most worrisome fears and discuss what you and they can do to overcome them. “If we are not able to go outside for  a while, we can play boardgames or do some crafts”.

– Have our children be active participants, get your child to help in the preparation as if you were packing for a trip. Assign someone to check the battery supply or load the batteries into the items you will need. Give a child the responsibility to fill water bottles etc. . .

– Create an activity kit, pull together a collection of activities your child likes to do. If they like to play with technology be sure to have the devises fully charged and have additional power supplies. As power may go down, alternate both technology and non technology activities. Keep paper, pencils, and crayons available as well as playing cards and reading books. If they like to collect something, keep them available.

– Sensory issues, many of our children will become disturbed by the continuous sounds of wind, rain, generators, and even upset pets. Keep available earplugs, headphones, and gum (to stop ears from popping due to change in barometric pressure).

–Food,  as many of our children are “picky eaters”, be sure to have plenty of the foods and snacks they like.

– Write a social story. Create a simple 8-10 sentence story to describe the events that may be coming. Keep the language completely positive and hopeful. Go over the story as a form or preparation. For younger children use visuals such as pictures to reinforce the story. 

– Practice, have a practice drill, prior to the development of any storms. There is nothing better than a concrete, hands on experience to prepare a child as long as it is done in a clear and calm manner. 

Some supply recommendations:

  • Cell phone, charged
  • Backup power supply
  • Water and food for 5-8 days (1 gal. water per person for each day and focus on non-perishable proteins)
  • First aid kit
  • Portable radio and flashlight with batteries
  • Full tank of gas in car if evacuation is needed
  • Medications for 5-8 days
  • A full bathtub with a bucket for flushing the toilet
  • Each person should have an emergency and identification card on them including important phone numbers (include numbers of relatives or friends who live in other areas than yours)

Empowering your children with or without “special needs” with answers to their worries  will help alleviate anxiety for many. Also, remember to have a debrief after the storm has passed, we want to focus on their strengths and to try minimizing the impact of their anxieties. This will boost their self-confidence, empower them, and help them to feel less anxious about the  unpredictable events in life. 

Dr. Eric NACH

Support for Students Growth Center of Boca Raton

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