Camp Huntington Celebrates 50 Years of Providing Fun and Educational Special Needs Summer Camps

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As we move forward, we will continue to meet the needs of campers with a full spectrum of skills and abilities, and find creative ways to bring therapeutic recreation to young people with special needs.

High Falls, NY (PRWEB) August 2, 2010

In 1960, a talented special education teacher started a residential summer camp for children with special needs in New York. Fifty years later, Camp Huntington has provided sophisticated programming and therapeutic recreation to thousands of special campers.

Camp Huntington owes much of its success to its unique approach to therapeutic recreation. The program utilizes an inclusive community model, meaning that children, teens and young adults of all ability levels and with a variety of disabilities, including developmental disabilities like autism, intellectual disabilities like Down syndrome, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, and learning disabilities, live and grow together.

“Our campers have a wide spectrum of skill, ability and independence levels, yet in a residential setting they all gain useful skills from one another,” said Daniel Falk, the Executive Director at Camp Huntington.

Camp Huntington offers an ideal blend of learning and fun. The program is highly structured and promotes the development of academic, social and life skills, but it is designed in such a way that campers don’t even realize how much they’re learning.

“Although our staff is always mindful of the seriousness of the disorders facing our campers, we ensure that Camp Huntington feels just like summer camps for non-disabled kids,” said Falk. “Because our campers are having so much fun, they develop new skills without feeling like they’re doing ‘work.’”

The fields of psychology and special education have seen tremendous growth since the 1960s, which has helped make Camp Huntington a safe and supportive place for children with special needs. Camp Huntington is backed by a half-century of knowledge, experience and research. Equally important, it continually expands on its rich history and deep understanding of children with special needs by adding new program components and developing an even more advanced level of clinical sophistication.

Falk and other directors at Camp Huntington have led the program for more than 25 years, and the counselors – many of whom travel from abroad to work at the camp – show their dedication to youth with special needs by returning year after year.

Campers love to return year after year as well. Janette Dafner, a young woman with a developmental disability, has returned to Camp Huntington 25 years in a row.

“Summer camp is a wonderful developmental opportunity for young people with special needs,” said Janette’s mom, Judi. “Janette counts the days leading up to camp every year. Camp Huntington has become an important part of Janette’s life, and the staff has become like family to us.”

Part of the reason campers return to Camp Huntington is that summer camp sets up a third environment, in addition to home and school, where they can achieve success. Building upon some of the same tools children use in school, Camp Huntington uses a gentle teaching approach to fill in any gaps in the areas of social skills and daily living skills – skills that will serve young people well as they prepare to leave home and grow into adults.

“The camp experience prepares young people for success in a traditional school setting and enables them to more consistently accomplish their goals,” said Falk. “As a result, families have more time to enjoy being a family and youth with special needs can take pleasure in a more satisfying life.”

After a one-, three- or seven-week stay at summer camp, parents often describe their child as more confident, secure and independent, and more responsive to helping out with tasks at home.

“The camp experience has built Janette’s confidence and independence. She has a real sense of pride in what she does at camp,” explained Judi. “When asked what her favorite part of camp is, Janette smiles and says ‘everything.’”

With a rich history behind it and a commitment to ongoing enhancements, the future is bright for Camp Huntington and the families it serves.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure to provide a rewarding summer camp experience for our special campers year after year,” said Falk. “As we move forward, we will continue to meet the needs of campers with a full spectrum of skills and abilities, and find creative ways to bring therapeutic recreation to young people with special needs.”

About Camp Huntington

Founded in 1960, Camp Huntington serves youth with varying degrees of learning disabilities and developmental disorders including autism and mental retardation. The therapeutic recreation program is set on a 34-acre rural site and provides a fun, safe summer experience for 6- to 21-year-olds (youth participants are also welcome to continue attending camp when they reach adulthood). Campers are grouped by age and ability, not by diagnosis, and spend time swimming, playing music, cooking, indoor climbing, singing and acting. Camp sessions last one, three or seven weeks.

Camp Huntington is a program of Aspen Education Group, the nation’s leading provider of therapeutic education programs for struggling or underachieving young people. Aspen’s services range from short-term intervention programs to residential treatment, and include a variety of therapeutic settings such as boarding schools, outdoor behavioral health programs and special needs summer camps, allowing professionals and families the opportunity to choose the best setting to meet a student’s unique academic and emotional needs.

Aspen Education Group is a member of CRC Health Group, the most comprehensive network of specialized behavioral care services in the nation. For over two decades, CRC Health has been achieving successful outcomes for individuals and families.

For more information, please call (866) 515-5202 or visit Camp Huntington.

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