If Your Child Has Learning Disabilities
Some LD kids do well in a mainstream camp, if LD is the only problem they face. If your LD child also has social problems, be sure that the counselors — whether in a mainstream or specialized camp — are trained to deal with them.
Pattie Allen’s nine-year-old son, Brian, has a slight developmental delay and can’t interpret social cues. Brian did well at a mainstream camp, but he flourished at the specialized camp that his therapist recommended. Allen attributes his success to counselors who helped him process social cues and directions.
“When the kids played dodgeball, Brian would start crying,” says Allen. “He didn’t want to play, because everyone was throwing balls at him. One counselor took Brian aside and let him throw balls at him, explaining that the kids weren’t targeting Brian, they were only playing the game.
After that, whenever Brian played dodgeball, the counselor would quietly remind him how the game is played.” Brian excelled in all activities that summer, thanks to the one-on-one style of the counselor.


