Special Needs Kids Can Enjoy Camp Too
Run by the parents of an autistic child, the summer basketball camp is an alternative for parents of special-needs children who need extra attention.
Eleven-year-old Chris Riddle has the makings of a great backhand. And he's pretty good at keeping his eye on the ball and hitting it where he wants it to go, says his instructor, Jim Smith.
Whacking tennis balls on a make-shift court on the playground at the Center for Independence is probably his favorite thing at summer camp, Chris says with a quick smile. When not hitting the balls he's happy to shag them for other kids while he awaits another turn.
Three-year-old Megan Britton likes to color and piece together puzzles in the playroom. Camp is a fun place to be, says Megan. "There are lots of things to do here," she says, before showing off her artwork - a happy blue-faced clown. "I'm going to put this in my cubby so I can show my mom," she says in a sing-song voice.
For Greg Cohen, the swing set is the ideal place to be. When his dad drops him off in the morning, the 11-year-old makes a beeline for the playground, happy to spend his outside time swinging back and forth.
Greg, Megan and Chris are three of 18 children with a variety of physical or emotional disabilities who attend a summer camp program sponsored by the Pasco Association for Challenged Kids.
The camp, in its third year, is the brainchild of Greg's parents, Paula and Barry Cohen, who saw a need to provide a service for special-needs children like their son.
Greg, who is autistic, is in the Exceptional Student Education program at Cotee River Elementary during the school year and during summer school. But two three-week gaps - before and after summer school takes place - present a problem for both the Greg and his parents.
During the first break, the Cohens hire a babysitter to look after their son, who needs one-on-one care. It's an expensive proposition for the parents and a boring one for their son, who likes to be around the other children.
"We don't have the option to send Greg to regular summer camps like the "Y,' " Paula Cohen said."We found that even those places that claim they take special-needs children weren't equipped to deal with special needs."
The Cohens said they first approached the Pasco School Board about providing year-round services for their son. When that idea went nowhere, they decided to get the ball rolling on their own. "We needed to do something for kids like Greg," Barry Cohen said. "Autistic kids need routines."
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