One teacher heard the voices of several parents and their desire to allow their autistic children the same opportunities in the summer as their typical siblings.

While schools and communities are striving to make progress, there are still very few affordable opportunities for children with disabilities in the summer. While typical peers can independently with friends enjoy swimming at area pools, Little League, the public library and riding their bikes, autistic children are unable to do those things safely without trained supervision.

Camp I.D.E.A.S. provides an affordable opportunity for children with special needs to participate in these activities in a safe environment with trained, caring, mentors.

The month-long summer program which runs Monday through Friday, 5 hours a day provides a curriculum that includes academics modified to each child’s individual level, field trips for motivation and reinforcement of skills, organized outdoor activities for gross motor and team development, arts and crafts for fine motor skills, music therapy, speech therapy, and daily work in a computer lab. We feel we are unique in the amount of academic practice we offer which the children willingly and enthusiastically complete. We also maintain our community collaborations with the Lorain Public Library and their Bookmobile, the Lorain Police Department and Safety town, the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department with their Child Identification Program, the local Metro-parks and we are in dialogue with the owner a therapy dog to come into camp and be with the children.