Summer resources available for Montana residents with special needs
Summer is right around the corner, and that means that with school coming to a close, it's time to start thinking about how you will find the support you need for your loved one with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and/or other special needs. The level of care needed from one family to the next is not going to be the same, and so it's important to consider the level of care that will be best for your unique situation. You may wish to find an intensive summer program for your child or loved one, or you may opt for something that is more along the lines of an in-home care provider to help assist you. Whatever it is that choose to be best for your family, we've found a list of support services available to help with your ASD or special needs child or loved one this summer.
Summer Camps for Special Needs Children, Teens, and Adults
This children's camp in Billings, Montana offers a week long Legendary Camp from July 28-August 3 for children with special needs. This camp offers approximately 50 spaces each year for males and females aged 8-21 years who have special needs. Since space is limited, applications are reviewed on a first come, first serve basis.
This camp offers an alternative to traditional summer camps for teens age 13-18 with autism spectrum disorder. While it's located just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah, this camp is available for Montana residents. This program is designed to help ASD teens learn to make new friends and improve upon social skills while making plans for the future and having fun.
This camp is based out of Florida, and is designed for kids, teens, and adults ages 6 and up with special needs who like to travel. This camp selects various popular travel destinations to visit each year, and has a 1:4 to 1:1 (when needed) staff to camper ratio. They help in every aspect of traveling, including help with travel arrangements and picking up campers at the airport.
This summer camp hosts programs year-round in Zirconia, North Carolina, and is available for special needs residents of Montana. Talisman offers a variety of programs for different age groups ranging from 6 to 22. They offer shorter week-long programs, two-week programs, and 17-day programs. Children, teens, and young adults work to develop their skills while making new friends and engaging in a variety of fun camp-related activities such as hiking, swimming, backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing, archery, art, and science projects.
Additional resources
For those of you who would like to learn more about the available day and summer camps available in Montana, you may find an updated list of special needs camps here. Goodwill and Easterseals offer a variety of summer Lego camps and resources for children with special needs across Montana. There is also Camp Great at Eagle Mount in Great Falls, MT—a therapeutic camp for children ages 6 and up who are able to follow instructions and have a willingness to try new things.
There are a variety of resources for parents of children with ASD and other special needs in Montana that you can find here as well. If you'd like to learn more about the family strengthening classes and behavioral interventions provided by Big Sky Therapeutic Services, we welcome you you to contact us.