Adapting Activities To Help Campers with Hidden Disabilities Succeed
A Process for Adapting Activities
Review the registration information and contact parents or guardians ahead of time to
learn how to help a camper with specific needs succeed.Evaluate the situation and adapt the environment, schedule and activities based on:
A. Safety issues – address specific hazards related to the disability, allergies, meds,
parental concerns, impulsiveness around potentially hazardous activities and
spaces.
B. Environment – beyond accessibility, are there loud activities, flashing or flickering
lights, crowding, strong odors?
C. Programs/activities – what accommodations, changes may need to be made
D. Social interaction – any education or strategies needed to help others interact
comfortably, help the camper communicate?
E. Daily living – bathing, dressing, day and night time toilet use, meal time issues –
any special equipment needed? Is the space set up to meet the camper’s needs?
At daily staff meeting – plan time to assess concerns and discuss progress so far: changes,
positives as well as negatives, what is working and what isn’t working.
Sensory Sensitivity
Expect that many campers on the autism spectrum and those with sensory processing
disorder will have sensory issues that may get in the way of participation in camp activities.
Some children will seek sensory experiences and others will avoid them.
Tactile issues – may avoid getting hands dirty, react to rough places on clothing, be
over-sensitive to being touched.
● Offer options—brushes rather than fingers for glue, alternatives to getting in water or
holding hands during an activity.
Visual – may be sensitive to fluorescent lights, cluttered environments
● Use natural light, keep environments simple
Sound – may over-react to loud noises and hold hands over ears, be aware of every sound, be
fearful of unusual noises in the night.
● Have noise-reducing headphones available, seat camper in quietest part of dining
room, have optional quiet activities available, explain sources of unusual noises.
Smell – may be hypersensitive to the unusual smells at camp, from the outdoors, unfamiliar
foods, cleaning products and water in the bathrooms.
● Introduce new smells, use plenty of fresh air, have the camper bring comforting
blanket or stuffed animal that smells like home.
Taste – may have a narrow range of food tolerated, avoid new foods.
● Work with families – some campers may need to bring foods from home.
Quiet Spaces
Many campers with hidden disabilities need a way to take a break from activities now and
then. Set aside a room or create a space—a table forts work well, or a partitioned off space.
A light pop-up tent with an innertube seat can be transported to different areas of camp.
Determine safe zones near but removed from loud areas where campers may go if needed.
Follow safe supervision rules to keep camper within view of others.
Communication
Check-in time—especially with campers with anxiety or depression— is important. Have a
short time to meet with designated staff each day or a few times each day to see where
campers are; can do this using a 1–10 or a word check-in. An emotions thermometer can also
be a useful way for the camper to increase awareness of moods and coping.
Remember that many campers process best if you first get their attention and then make sure
they are watching the speaker. Others on the spectrum cannot make eye contact and listen
at the same time, so never force a camper to look at you.
Fidgets
Having “fidgets” on hand can be really helpful for lulls in activities, but also help some
campers pay attention. Campers should always be engaged in some sort of activity, and these
can provide campers with something to do with their hands while waiting for meals or their
next activity. They also provide sensory stimulation that can have a calming effect—this
sensory stimulation can be visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory, or gustatory (taste-centered).
Some examples of fidgets include:
● putty or Play-Dough
● stress balls
● spinning tops or fidget spinners
● small beanbags
● mini Etch-a-Sketch
● kaleidoscopes
● pipe cleaners
● chewing gum
Make your own fidgets by putting sand or cornmeal in a balloon and covering it with a second
balloon for durability.
Transitions and Picture Schedules
Picture schedules are an easy, inexpensive, and effective way to make activities more
inclusive. They can be especially helpful for campers who:
● have trouble with transitions
● have visual learning styles or memories
All kids like to be “in the know” about the day’s plans. Go over the day’s schedule with your
campers in the morning and remind them throughout the day about the sequence of that
day’s activities. Use short sentences and to point to the schedule to accommodate everyone’s
needs. For example, in the following schedule, you would point to each picture and say:
“Right now, we are at circle time. Next, we are going to snack. After the snack, we will read a
book.”
Warning campers when an activity is almost over may make transitions easier. This could
mean giving a ten and then a five-minute warning before the end of an activity while
reminding them of the next activity. You could say something like “When this song is over, we
are leaving the pool and going to lunch.” Some campers may respond well to a timer.
The rules for different activities can be presented visually and also stated at the start of each
activity. This can minimize behavioral issues and assist campers with understanding what
behavior is expected of them at different activities. If possible, do not include specific times
on the schedule, in case things change.
Avoiding Bullying
Some children may tease or ignore children with disabilities who do not participate in camp
activities in the same way they do. Counselors should set a good example by de-emphasizing
scoring and athletic talent while emphasizing teamwork, good sportsmanship, and individual
accomplishments.
Some non-visible disabilities like learning or cognitive disabilities may be misinterpreted. If
this happens, calmly explain that all people have different ways of learning and participating,
and those differences should be respected.
Awards for good sportsmanship can help encourage campers themselves to promote
inclusion. Make sure everyone involved understands that the goal of all activities is for
everyone to have fun and to be included together, not to win the most points or hit the ball
the hardest.
Websites and resources that may be helpful
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Facts for Families Pages
https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_Youth/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Home.aspx?hkey=fb0befff-aae9-4867-958b-d8b45f5ecb2f
Kids Included Together
https://www.kit.org/what-we-do/inclusion-resources/
NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) Information and Fact Sheets:
https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-by-the-Numbers/Infographics-Fact-Sheets
NICHCY (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities) Disability Fact Sheets
and other resources regarding a variety of diagnoses and conditions:
https://www.parentcenterhub.org/category/topics/disabilities/
Picture Schedules – See examples:
https://sites.google.com/site/mrsstevensresources/picture-schedules
PsychCentral – Symptoms and Treatments of Mental Disorders: Scroll down to “Childhood Disorders”:
https://psychcentral.com/disorders/
Spiral Foundation – Educator Fact Sheet Signs and Symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/roynmizw3mqm47n/SPD%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Educators.pdf?dl=0
UMCRM – Hidden Disabilities – Guest Post from Jackie Cordon:
https://umcrm.wildapricot.org/page-1616311/1516664
By Deaconess Leslie Hobson (lezlee_director@hotmail.com), Director, Northern Pines Camp,
Park Rapids, MN (Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church) and
Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, Occupational Therapist, Disability Consultant, Disability Ministries
Committee of the United Methodist Church (umdisability@gmail.com).
Page 4, Disability Ministries Committee of the United Methodist Church, updated January 7, 2023