Extreme Sports Camp for Kids With Autism
EmailJohn Donvan’s report on tonight’s World News is about taking kids with autism to the extreme.
Extreme Sports Camp near Aspen, Colo. encourages campers to have fun while pushing the limits. The program offers a wide variety of activities including rafting, rock climbing, skiing and rope courses.
“Our mission is to enhance the health, abilities, personal growth and social engagement of people with autism through challenging, attainable and enjoyable athletic programs which lead to the incorporation of recreational sports into daily life,” the camp posted on their website.
Each child is assigned to a counselor for a week and many return year after year. The camp is for kids ages 5 and up — it accepts children with an autism spectrum diagnosis, including classic autism, Asperger's, PDD-NOS and related diagnoses.
"It's got to be visceral," said Doug Gilstrap, the head of the camp. "It's stimulating, it's super-intense. And, actually, the more intense it is, the better they are on the other end."
"The greater the adrenaline shock that I can put to the system — the brain, the body and the endorphin rush that comes in post-adrenaline rush — is what gets them the most realization and calm," Gilstrap said. "When they are back in a normal situation, they have better capacity to be in control."
To see a list of camps for children with autism by state, CLICK HERE.
To see a list of frequently asked questions about the camp, CLICK HERE.
To visit the website for Extreme Sports Camp, CLICK HERE.
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Ellen, you have no idea what you are talking about. Our daughter went and had the most amazing time and wants to do it again. That was the feeling of every camper the week we were there. No one is forced to do anything they don’t want to do. Instead, kids are given the chance to do something they, and we, never thought they could do. Many are verbal or communicate in some way and tell their parents of the joy they felt. You should not criticize when you have no idea what you’re talking about. Sure, you’ll look scared when you face something scary — like anyone would be — but my daughter sure was glad she did it and it was her choice to do it.
Posted by: PJ | August 31, 2009, 7:52 pm 7:52 pm
My son has attended this camp for 2 years at his insistence. He is very verbal. If he has fears he will tell you so. This camp is so much fun and exhilerating for children that have sensory processing disorders. The Camp Buddies are a peer support system to help with transitions and confidence building. The sports are challenging and multi-sensory, what teen doesn’t want to do these types of outdoor activities? I think there is an incorrect perception made about people or children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They DO enjoy exciting outdoor activities and feeling Proud, with the safety supports in place. Ellen, please educate yourself before you pass judgements. This camp is wonderful and a blessing for many families.
Posted by: Donna B | August 31, 2009, 9:02 pm 9:02 pm
What were you watching? Those two kids could speak. I know the difference because my child has never spoken. You’re offensive if you think this camp is just for people who don’t want to be with their kids and are looking for somewhere to drop them off. My daughter is home schooled and loved very much. She is completely non-verbal but spells out her answers. She absolutely loved it and, I repeat, I heard directly from all of the other campers the week I went how much they enjoyed it because my daughter was the only non-verbal child that week. She wasn’t forced to do anything. The camp accommodated our request to be more involved and we stayed with her much more than we were supposed to. The counselors were amazing and experienced. When we did let her go for a few hours, she pushed us away when we went to check on her because she wanted to be more independent. Her typical twin sister went with her and raved about it. If you had gone with your son and had a bad time, I would certainly understand your need to comment on it. But the sad truth is that your post may discourage families from going and it was one of the best experiences of our lives. Please don’t pass judgment until you go with your son.
Posted by: PJ | August 31, 2009, 9:58 pm 9:58 pm
My son is nonverbal and is featured in this piece. I also serve on the Board of Directors. When we leave the entire week following he utters the word airplane. He loves it yes at times he is scared but when he accomplishes something he will smile and try to say “again”.
The camp operates at a 50% loss every year but thank god the people who founded the camp make up the difference personally.
The kid on the board is mine and I am so proud of him every time we raise the bar and he makes a small stride. At 14 years of age, 5’9 and 170 lbs he is attempting to do what typical kids do and I realize that his life will never be typical we will always allow him to be exposed to things that will help him grow in confidence and maturity!
Posted by: Geoff | August 31, 2009, 10:34 pm 10:34 pm
My son has also attended the camp for the past two years. At eleven he was one of the younger unassisted campers. He is high functioning and highly verbal. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t suffer from great social anxiety. But, that’s all a distant memory as soon as he heads to camp. He loves interacting with the other campers and adores each and every one of them. He never sees disabilities in them. He sees friends and potential friends. He knows and adores Josh and after looking at the piece on TV referred to him as his ‘friend is on TV’. That’s a big deal when the normal middle school world thinks of him as an outcast. It’s all because this camp challenges and accepts him being him.
Posted by: nancy | September 1, 2009, 9:35 am 9:35 am
Sounds like a wonderful camp and great people running it.
I’m going to tell my friend about this place for her grandchild.
Thank you.
Posted by: ddg | September 1, 2009, 9:41 am 9:41 am
We should be spending our time and energies finding out what is causing autism, which is a fairly recent epedemic, and then finding a prevention, and even a cure for those already afflicted.
The preoccupation with sports, is going to do little to help prepare the autistic person to deal with their world.
Posted by: Rick McDaniel | September 1, 2009, 10:31 am 10:31 am
I had the pleasure of attending this camp as an aid for a teen with Autism this summer. As a person with a background in early intervention and primary prevention, a teaching certification and ABA/IBI training I can honestly say this camp is AMAZING. I have known the teen that I attended with since she was 3 years old, she is now 14. We travelled quite a way to get to camp.
This camp allowed her to explore so many activities and social situations that she would never have been exposed to otherwise. The teen often displayed anxiety in the form of behaviors prior to an activity, towards the beginning of the two weeks we attended. They were exciting, thrilling activities!! This would certainly make anyone uneasy. The staff were SO supportive and totally understood what the teen needed. They supported her in a way that worked for her and she was able to work through her anxieties and fear. By the mid to end of the two weeks, she was requesting to take her turn at the activities, rather than wanting to sit back. In my opinion, preparing teens for the world, includes allowing them to experience it!
When we keep doors closed and expect people to participate in activities only related to a label they may have, that is true segregation. This camp certainly allowed the teen that I work with to work on her breathing, to experience activities that she thoroughly enjoyed, to socialize with friends and to generally get excited about life! That is to name only a few of the benefits. I would love to see a program like this started in my country. Keep up the AWESOME hard work!
Posted by: Anon | September 1, 2009, 11:10 am 11:10 am
rick–of course we’d like to find a cure–how is this camp standing in the way of research?
the challenge right now,to make this world a better place for these kids (and adults) is just as essential. why shouldn’t they have the same experiences as typical kids do if this is possible? and this camp has proven that it is, indeed, possible.
Posted by: adam | September 1, 2009, 11:42 am 11:42 am
My son was the youngest camper the week that we went and less than half the size of most of the other campers! He was very scared to try many of the things they engaged in, but thrilled when he overcame them. He had an absolute blast and cried when it was time to leave. He is still asking me, weeks later, when we can go back again.
Regarding how the autism community should be spending their time and resources, yes, I agree there is still a tremendous amount of work that needs to be done in the areas of identification and prevention. Having said that, there are still millions of individuals affected by ASD’s RIGHT NOW who need assistance as well. Do we just throw them out with the bath water since they are already affected? Heaven forbid!
Overcoming fears and trying new things they often are never given the chance to is not only exhilarating, but also quite empowering for these remarkable children. The fears my son overcame during this week were staggering, and things that had been worked on for some time prior. One week in a challenging environment obviously did a world of good! Kudos to Extreme Sports Camp for a program well done!
Posted by: Laura Corby | September 1, 2009, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
My daughter Carly just spent two weeks at Extreme Sports Camp and she absolutely loved it! She challenged herself in ways she had never done before. I was amazed at the pictures our aide sent home each day!! Carly always had a severe fear of heights and losing her balance, yet here she was climbing cliffs, using a zip line, water skiing etc. She was so excited to be there and to prove herself that when she came home last week, she went parasailing on our family vacation!! She can’t wait to go back next year and she had a wonderful counselor –Jessica –who was so devoted and dedicated to Carly’s success as well.
I cannot thank the camp enough for doing such a great job and building my daughter’s confidence to such an extent.
Posted by: Tammy Starr | September 1, 2009, 5:34 pm 5:34 pm
I was at the camp with my sister for some of the time. My sister is a wonderful person to be with. She can’t talk but she spells and describes things really well. Doug is amazing. He makes everyone have fun — it’s really cool. I learned that just because you have a disability it doesn’t mean you can’t do what everybody else does. Someday, I’d like to be a person just like Doug. It wasn’t just an amazing experience for my sister, it was an amazing experience for me because I found what I was supposed to do in life. P.S. The counselors rock!
Posted by: T | September 1, 2009, 7:08 pm 7:08 pm
great.. an informative read. Thanks for the post.
Posted by: skydivers | July 21, 2010, 8:16 am 8:16 am