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Talisman Camps: Summer Camps for Kids with Autism, Aspergers, and ADHD
ARE YOU READY FOR AN AMAZING SUMMER?? Talisman Summer Camp is here to help! We provide specialized camp experiences for young people ages 6 to 22 with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD and/or other learning differences. Since 1980, our ACA-accredited ADHD, aspergers and autism summer camp programs have been delivering unique alternatives to ordinary summer camps. Our progressive adventure programs help our campers build success while increasing social skills, a sense of personal responsibility, confidence, and a more positive self-image.
What makes our camp so unique and successful? We have over four decades of experience providing remarkable summers, employing highly trained and caring staff, and planning out phenomenal activities for our young campers. A typical day may include enjoying a wholesome home-cooked breakfast, engaging in peer group activities, completing a nature walk in the beautiful North Carolina mountains, jumping off an inflatable into the camp lake, kayaking down gorgeous local rivers, having a conversation with a peer who understands your world, laughing with friends around a campfire, pitching in to clean up after evening meal, feeling pride when my bunkmates and I win a camp contest, or enjoying some of the most restful sleep after a long day of activities in the fresh mountain air.
Can’t wait? We’d love to chat with you and your family to determine if Talisman Programs and our Aspergers, ADHD, and Autism Summer Camp would be a good fit for your next summer adventure!
Talisman Camps are a registered 501(c)3, as a non-profit we use donations to continue to serve more families. Click the link below to leave a tax-deductible donation.
Over 40 years of Amazing Summers for Children on the Spectrum as the leading Autism Summer Camp
Program Overview
Learn more about all of our programs!
Enrolled Families
Special information for families already enrolled for this summer
Dates and Rates
Find out more about joining Talisman this summer
We don’t just enjoy meeting new campers, but greeting old friends as well. As a testament to our positive impact, many campers return year after year to a place that feels like a second home. Every year Talisman campers return to our beautiful location in Western North Carolina to build friendships, gain confidence, and make lasting memories. We would love to speak with you and your family about joining us. Our summer sessions do fill up quickly, so contacting us early in the year is best to ensure you have time to ask questions, schedule a tour, and/or get to know our staff!
We offer a wide variety of traditional summer camp activities along with specialty programming for kids with autism, Aspergers, and ADHD. The difference between Talisman Camps and traditional camps is that we understand spectrum kids, teens, and young adults. We have a depth of knowledge traditional summer camps typically do not, along with a passion for helping ASD families. We work on social skills, confidence, self-esteem, building peer relationships, increasing accountability and sense of responsibility, attaining personal goals, and most importantly, having FUN!
We find that youth on the autism spectrum, or with similar neurological differences, often do not feel comfortable at camps with primarily neurotypical peers. They may not engage in group activities, peers may not understand their learning differences and thus exclude them or worse pick on them for their “odd” behaviors. Staff at traditional camps are also not trained to work with youth diagnosed with autism, Aspergers and ADHD therefore they do not know how to be responsive to their unique needs, attuned to potential issues, or supportive when they struggle. Camp can be hard for any child initially – being away from home and a normal routine can be that much more difficult for a child with Aspergers, autism or ADHD. Our Autism Summer Camp is built with the knowledge that our campers are more than capable of having an amazing summer, disconnected from devices and away from family, even breaking normal routine, by establishing solid communication, good relationships, and a reliable routine while at camp.
We are also attentive to each child’s individual needs. Maybe a camper is feeling particularly overwhelmed with all the change and just needs a morning to refocus and center themselves – fine! We’ll work with your child to ensure he or she is on board with the day’s programming, gently encourage as needed, and work out alternatives if appropriate.
The best feedback we can get is from our amazing campers. Check out what our families have to say about the fantastic work we do in the video below.
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