Photo by John Cross
Campers with autism and Asperger's syndrome played cards and board games with counselors at Camp Patterson. Those with the disorders may have difficulty dealing with the uncertainty in games, so counselors kept them relaxed and involved.
LAKE WASHINGTON — At Camp Patterson a giggling, shouting group of campers and their green-shirted counselors rushed from partner to partner shaking hands, bumping hips and touching toes.
The game — led by Hoover Elementary School physical education teacher Kathy Schultz with shouts of "Hip bump!" or "Toe-to-toe!" — was a socialization exercise, meant to help the children and teens at the camp with autism and Asperger's syndrome work on their social skills.
Megan Monson Conlon, whose son Sam Conlon, 14, has Asperger's syndrome, explained his condition is on the "autism spectrum." Those with either disorder often have difficulty picking up on social cues, Conlon said.
"You have five senses, but the fifth sense is body language, and that's a foreign language to them," Conlon said.
That can make a classroom — or a traditional summer camp — a stressful environment.
For three days this week at Camp Patterson, Sam Conlon and 24 others — ranging in age from third- to ninth-graders — worked on those social skills through small-group exercises and games. They also learned relaxation techniques for dealing with anxiety.
Linda Watson of the South Central Service Cooperative said each day adhered to a strict schedule, satisfying the craving for routine associated with autism and Asperger's syndrome.
"We know that a lot of these kids have trouble with not knowing what's coming next," Watson said. "They don't deal well with change, they don't deal well with transitions."
"So we're setting up a lot of activities where they can meet new kids, and yet it's pretty structured and there is somebody guiding the activity," she said. "It's fun — we're really stressing fun."
At regular intervals, an announcement over the camp loudspeaker prompting campers to move on to arts and crafts, a scavenger hunt or board games in different areas of the camp.
Tuesday afternoon, Megan Conlon watched Sam, wearing a bright orange Adidas T-shirt, decorate a picture frame with orange paint at the arts and crafts station. Around him, some campers were absorbed in gluing bugs and butterflies to their frames while others chatted.
Megan Conlon said those with Asperger's syndrome and autism are often advanced, precocious children. Sam, for instance, knew the alphabet at 18 months and soon after urged her to read him a 200-page book on the anatomy of an aircraft.
In groups, she said, they can "talk like little professors."
Throughout the day, each activity area at the camp was crowded with counselors, all students from the Minnesota State University education department.
Emily Wilmes, working on a master's degree in special education, said the campers seemed to be more relaxed than when they are in the classroom.
"It's nice to see the kids having fun, because I don't think they always have fun at school," Wilmes said. "They choose to be on their own a lot."
"This forces them to be together, but also in a comfortable environment," she said.
But when campers did want to just wander off alone by the beach, that was OK, too. The focus was on fun and relaxation.
"As a parent, it's been great walking around and seeing all the kids having a wonderful time," Conlon said.
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