Boys’ and Girls’ Autism and ADHD Summer Camps for Ages 8-13
Talisman Programs offers young boys and girls Autism’s and ADHD summer camps. For this age group, we designed programs specifically for ADHD (Foundations) and for Autism (Sight), allowing us to tailor our approach to their unique needs and interests. For more information about each program, click the links below:
Why are there two separate programs?
Some of our 8-13-year-old campers are diagnosed with ADHD. Others are on the autism spectrum. And some have both!
We have a program designed especially for those campers who have significant ADHD (Foundations) and a program for those with autism (Sight). But what if your child has both?
Approximately 75% of our campers on the autism spectrum also have ADHD. In helping you choose the best fit program in this case, one of our main considerations is your child’s processing speed. Processing Speed (PSI), one element of an IQ assessment, evaluates the speed and efficiency with which a person processes information and stimuli to produce a response to their environment. A lower score indicates the need for more time to process and respond to information.
If a child’s processing speed is significantly impacted by autism, we generally place them among peers with similar processing speeds in the Sight program. This allows them to participate and socialize at a pace that is comparable to others so they do not feel left behind or frustrated.
If processing speed is not as impacted, we will likely place your camper in the Foundations program. These campers tend to have more rapid speech and thought (and impulsivity) and are jumping rapidly from topic to topic and activity to activity.
If the child is close to both descriptions, we will work with you to determine the best fit based on the other campers signed up for their age group. Because we work with a small population of the spectrum (often termed “high functioning” or formerly known as Aspergers), we often see a lot of overlap in abilities and need. It is our goal to place every camper in the program and group that best matches both.
