Ten years ago we started our Spring, Summer and Winter Camps to offer kids age 2-7 with language and/or sensory motor delays a safe, fun and structured way to build social skills while closing developmental gaps. The basis of our philosophy is that kids learn through play, so what better way than using school vacations to get kids together and help them learn to play?
ICT camps foster social and emotional development by teaching kids about friendship and cooperative play. Camps create opportunities for supported interactions with peers, and our small therapist/child ratio (1-3 or 1-4) allows our therapists to assist and encourage kids as they learn how to communicate, persist with ideas, and build friendships.
Individualized Services in a Group Environment
While ICT camps use a group environment to teach social skills and nurture self-esteem, we meet every child as his or her developmental level and pay close attention to individual needs. Aside from our therapists, we have a non-therapist support staff helping to ensure that all kids receive ongoing support throughout the camp day.
Camp Activities
We structure our camps with weekly themes and alternating activities that incorporate language, sensory, and motor skills. If the theme is “Beach Week,” for example, kids will move from sand play to planning what to pack in a beach bag. They will work together to create and role-play a story about going to the beach, and go on a scavenger hunt around the office to look for things you might find at the beach. All of these activities offer endless opportunities for kids to feel successful in peer interactions while having fun and practicing language and sensory motor skills.
A Parent’s Take on Camps
Giovanna became part of the ICT community five years ago when her son (now 8) began therapy for a speech delay and challenges with sensory processing and motor planning. Giovanna first sent her son to ICT Summer Camp because she hoped it would be a way for him to overcome anxieties and difficulties he had related to interacting with peers. “He was embarrassed about things like taking off his shoes in front of other people, or answering someone when they talked to him,” Giovanna said. “I wanted him to learn to communicate and feel comfortable with other kids.”
Giovanna credits camp and other ICT programs with helping her son overcome social anxieties and boosting his self-esteem. In the camp setting, she said, therapists were able to observe her son’s hesitations when interacting with peers and guide him to build social skills that made it easier for him to feel comfortable, talk to and play with other kids.
“He loved going to camp,” Giovanna said, and added that she appreciated that the staff was highly empathetic and available to talk with her about her son’s progress.
ICT Spring Camp is Right Around the Corner!
Click here to register, or give us a call with any questions.
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