For a child with a learning difference, a whole new set of concerns challenge parents and make the process of organizing summer activities that are fun, therapeutic and successful options for all. As a parent or professional, you want to make sure the staff not only has planned fun activities for your child but that the therapists acting as "camp counselors" have sufficiently trained in the area of your child’s needs. While some therapeutic camps offer a rich, intensive experience, others may only provide a babysitting service. Knowing the difference can help you evaluate cost versus benefits for your child.

Good therapeutic camps will:

• Provide therapists with a rich background of experiences and demonstrated success in the area of your child’s learning needs.
• Keep the student to therapist ratio small enough to provide a therapeutic environment (no more than 6 children to one adult).
• Provide sufficient information about your child’s progress, set and address goals. You should have a clear understanding of the strategies the therapists will take.
• Have attempted to place your child with other children who are at the same relative level of ability.
• Be able to provide references of other families who have attended their camps.
• Make you feel that they understand your concerns and address them successful when you speak with the organization offering the camp.
• Provide discipline that meets with your criteria (a loving approach, functional approach, behavioral approach, etc.).
• Have methods for intervention that will be employed if your child’s behavior becomes disruptive.
• Will have opportunities for the campers to meet outside of camp to maintain friendships after the camp ends (very important for children with social skills problems).
• Provide a strong parent support piece so you can carryover the learning from camp into your child’s home/school environment next year.

For more information, you may want to check out www.SummerCamps.com, www.summercamp.org, or the book Summer Fun: The Parents’ Complete Guide to Day Camps, Overnight Camps, Specialty Camps, and Teen Tours by Marian Edelman Borden, Checkmark Books, 1999.

February was the debut of "Magic" nights at the clinic for middle schoolers. Several volunteers are teaching children to play the popular card game, Magic: The Gathering. Magic is a great opportunity for social interaction that also allows our children to shine because they are quick to remember the various rules and different types of cards. Up to four children can attend each three-week session. and are grouped roughly by age. A $20 donation helps cover the cost of a starter deck, booster pack prizes, and snacks. These sessions are designed to provide a typical social environment in a small-group setting and is part of our commitment to facilitate positive social interactions; this should not be considered therapy!

We strongly encourage families to host their own Magic nights or attend any of the ongoing tournaments in the community (i.e. Superstars on Stevens Creek off Lawrence Expressway in Cupertino, Game Keeper in Vallco Mall, Mutual Ground in San Antonio Shopping Center, Mountain View; Spacecat on Capitol Ave./McKee Rd.) after their children learn to play. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis. The next series will be for high schoolers, followed by late elementary schoolers. If interested, please contact us.

St. Patrick’s Day Sensorimotor Projects

Bread-dough projects – Make homemade dough with flour, salt, and water. Add food coloring and/or a scent (cinnamon, vanilla, etc.) Children can help with measuring, mixing, and making shapes. Projects can be baked in the oven and painted to make magnets, figurines, jewelry.

Cookie projects – Buy ready-made dough or make your own cookie dough. Similar to bread dough projects only you can eat the creations afterwards.

Potato stamps – Cut a potato in half. Carve designs into the potato meat, and use as a stamp to make home-made wrapping paper, cards, stationary, envelopes.

Hot Potato – Play the old, popular children’s game with calming music for a child with a high arousal or excitatory music for a child with low arousal. Have goofy potato prizes for the winner.

Potato Garden – Grow different colored potatoes in your garden. The heavy, outdoor work will benefit children’s sensory systems. Try growing some potatoes indoors and some outdoors and conduct a science experiment to see which potatoes grow better. Grow purple, red, white, brown, and blue potatoes. Have a taste test.

Potato Candy – Recipe and idea: 1 Tbsp mashed potatoes, 1 cup confectionary sugar, ¼ cup peanut butter (it sounds gross but it’s actually tasty!) Mix the confectionary and potato together—the sugar melts the potato. Stir until a firm dough. Roll out dough till about 1/8 inch thick and spread with peanut butter. Roll up like a jelly roll and slice into 1/8 inch slices.

Potato activity – Another cool thing to do with potatoes is from the AMES Science Program. Take some potatoes, count the number of eyes and chart or graph them. Weigh the potatoes – kids can find averages and so on. If you used baked potatoes, you can then use it for hot potato and the potato candy.

Homemade Potato Head – Pin vegetable pieces onto a potato to make a face. Or draw body parts, cut them out, and pin to the potato.

Preventing Meltdowns at Easter Egg Hunts

While Easter egg hunts are fun opportunities for children, some children need extra assistance to prevent a meltdown.

Consider packing your child’s favorite "engine-changers" to help them maintain that "just-right" engine. Meltdowns are much more likely to occur when children are not at that "just right" level. Be ready to give a giant bear hug, provide compressions through the shoulder, or participate in another deep pressure activity.

Preview the day’s activities – Help your child anticipate what might happen, and problem-solve together how to handle situations where he or she feels that something is unfair.

Make sure your child has plenty of sleep. Tired children are less resilient and have a lower threshold for frustration.

Have an egg hunt at home where each child has their own color eggs or can find a certain number of eggs to ensure a more even distribution.

A Letter from the Clinic Director:

Summer camps are meant to be a fun experience. The Lighthouse Project originated the camp model to support children with NLD, Asperger’s and HFA to develop their skills while having a social, fun and therapeutic experience. As co-founder of Nonverbal Learning Disorder Association, author of both The NLD Guide Book and Bridging the Gap: Raising a Child with NLD, I have pioneered programs that serve both the therapeutic needs of children with disorders of social cognition with an eye on their spirits, their alive-ness and their strengths. Call for references. We have a high rate of returning campers each year and many therapists and teachers in the area refer children to the extraordinary experience of Camp at The Lighthouse. Come see for yourself what a difference a week can make in the life of your child. -Rondalyn Whitney, MOT, OTR

Summer Programs at The Lighthouse Project

We will be offering both new and favorite groups at The Lighthouse Project this summer. Enclosed in the newsletter is a calendar for your convenience. We hope you’ll find a place for your child to come and develop their skills in a caring, professional environment. If you are interested in any of the courses, please fill out the registration form below and return it to our office. Many of our families were disappointed last summer when the courses filled so quickly.

All our small groups are intensives – children make substantial progress in short amount of time. We use a strong therapeutic, sensorimotor method to accomplish these results and, perhaps more importantly, use fun, purposeful activity to engage students and increase carryover to home. In order to ensure a therapeutic experience, enrollment in each camp is limited to 6 campers. Hope to see you this summer!!!

WEEKLY PROGRAMS, meeting once a week

HWT I – Printing – this class is for 1^st and 2^nd graders and includes hand development, directionality, attention to seated tasks and letter formation. Meets 9 sessions, first session for parents and 8 sessions for students. Fee: $800. Based on Handwriting Without Tears

HWT II- Cursive – this class is for 3^rd and 4^th graders. Focus is on hand development, should strength/endurance, letter formation and strategies for focused attention for seated tasks.

Meets 9 sessions, first session for parents and 8 sessions for students. Fee: $800 Based on Handwriting Without Tears

FRIENDS – Social skills develop when we engage in activities that are socially rich, intrinsically motivating and meaningful. A group of 4 allows students to succeed. Friends2 is for 1-2^nd graders, Friends3 is for 3-4^th graders. Fee: $800

Let’s Get Ready For School! – Readiness camps are filled with developing the neurological foundational skills required for academic activities in language arts, math, and the development of listening skill. We’ll use lots of fun crafts and games to develop fine motor skills, learning to stay in your own space (group time) and be a good friend. Examples include: Finger painting letters with glow in the dark foam, building bubble towers, and more. For students entering kindergarten and first grade. Fee $800 for 8 sessions and a short report for next year’s teacher.

Let’s Get Ready for Pre-School! – Many pre-schoolers with special learning needs benefit from pre-view and practice, eliminating the novelty of the pre-school experience. This program will focus on listen skills, fine motor development, learning to follow directions and being a good friend! All activities are selected for high therapeutic value while being FUN! Examples include: Finger painting letters with glow in the dark foam, building bubble towers, and more. For preschoolers. Fee $800 for 8 sessions and a short report for next year’s teacher. Parent Boot Camp! – Okay, you’ve asked for it, HERE IT IS! Want to learn how to diffuse a meltdown? How to anticipate and prevent homework struggles? How to make a vacation one everyone will enjoy? How to organize and negotiate an IEP experience? This camp, for parents, is designed to put therapeutic tools into YOUR hands so your child’s successes can increase exponentially! For parents, chronological age 18 and older. Evenings, $600 per couple, $350 per single. 5 sessions.

WEEK-LONG SUMMER CAMPS

DETECTIVE1 – Use your detective skills to identify clues and solve mysteries. Work as a team and use data to make inferential leaps and organize thoughts. For students entering 1^st through 3^rd grades.

$600

DETECTIVE2 – Learn about Forensic Science, split DNA, test for blood typing, examine finger prints and other forensic materials working as a team to solve a mystery. Therapeutic skills include: working as a team, using data to make inferential leaps and organizing thoughts on paper in line with Calif Science Standards. For students entering 4^th through 6^th grades. $600

SURVIVOR – Learn to use a knife! Make a fire! And other survival skills. Therapeutic skills include: safety judgment, bilateral hand function, working in a team to solve problems and organization of materials. Survivor1 for students entering 4^th through 6^th grade. Survivor2 for students entering 7^th through 9^th grade. . $600

PRESENTATION SKILLS – This camp is for high school students to develop skills for interviewing for either College entrance or job acquision. Campers will learn how to anticipate and prepare for questions, learn the "inside" scoop of what questions are asking for (invisible intentions), handshaking messages (and other non-verbal communications) Camp cumulates with a job interview with an executive from a local computer company. For high school students. . $600

STRATEGIES TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD – Smart, funny, precocious kids grow up to win Pulitzers but only when they can find the stamps to mail in the manuscript! Or the floppy to turn in their award winning PhD thesis! Being organized may sound mundane but it is, ultimately, the key to a successful life. This FUN class will help students get a grip on the STUFF in their lives! WORLD1 is for students entering 6^th through 8^th grade. WORLD2 is for students entering 9^th through 12^th grades. $600

INCREASE YOUR COOL FACTOR! - If only there was a rule book on how to be a good friend, make and keep friends. Now there is! This camp helps campers learn about good friendship skills while practicing those skills in real time. Our history of carry over into the next school year from this camp is extraordinary. COOL1 for students entering preschool. COOL2 for students entering kindergarten and first grade. COOL3 for students entering 2^nd-4^th grade. COOL4 for students entering 6^th through 8^th grade. $600

RECESS – How to play at unstructured time such as recess is the bane of many a child with learning disabilities. This group shows you how. Recess1 for students entering 2^nd through 4^th grade. Recess2 for students entering 5^th through 7^th grade. $600

MAGIC – Learn cool tricks to impress your friends. This group utilizes many fine motor skills to perform various magic tricks. MAGIC1 for students entering 1^st through 2^nd grades. MAGIC2 for students entering 3^rd and 4^th grades. . $600

ENGINE – How does your engine run? This camp focuses on identifying arousal levels and learning strategies to find the "just right" fit, matching arousal to the task at hand. ENGINE1 for students entering 3^rd through 4^th grades. ENGINE2 for students entering 5^th and 6^th grades. . $600

ARTS AND CRAFTS – Crafts are a terrific way to develop fine motor skills, math skills (patterns), bilateral coordination, and friendship skills (sharing supplies, thinking of others). For students entering 3^rd through 5^th grades. . $600

POTIONS – Become the next Harry Potter! Mixing potions and analyzing weird reactions is what chemistry is all about. Campers will learn about safety, being part of a team to create a successful outcome and how to write up their experiments following California Science Standards. In this class, you will be able to enjoy all your chemistry projects FOR SNACK!!! POTIONS1 for students entering 1^st through 3^rd grade. POTIONS2 for students entering 4^th through 6^th grade. $600

COMMUNITY – One thing we’ve learned at The Lighthouse Project is that when kids KNOW how to play, they PLAY, but novelty can really thwart a social event. This course is designed to help campers get familiar with common community places so they can be more successful when social opportunities arise (i.e. birthday parties, play dates). In addition, the camp offers an opportunity for older students to learn leadership skills. Camp is for students entering 4^th to 6^th grades. [ Junior counselors are students ]entering 7^th through 9^th grades. $600 for campers 4-6^th grades, $350 for 7^th – 9^th.

WRITING – Strengthen writing skills for a variety of writing styles including persuasive, narrative, and creative writing. Writing will be organized into a book students can take home and sending completed works off for publishing will be encouraged and facilitated as part of the camp. WRITING1 for students entering 4^th through 6^th grade. WRITING2 for students entering 6^th through 8^th grade. $600

GAMES FOR MATH AND SCIENCE – A fun-filled, creative experience using games from around the world to learn about math! For students working at or below grade level, this camp focuses on the foundational building blocks of mathematical understanding such as visual motor perceptual skills, left-right discrimination, alignment etc. For students entering 4^th through 6^th grade. $600

SUMMER SOCIALS! Mark your calendar! Our summer socials will be at Kona Kai on June 26^th and July 31^st to foster friendships made during camps and provide opportunity for parents to network. Therapists will be there but will be OFF DUTY, meaning we’ll be playing, not providing activities. Socials open to all current clients and campers. Details will come in the camp registration packet.

We will also continue our evenings of Magic and other game nights. Stay tuned to our next newsletter for dates and times.

Directions for registering: Using the adjacent course list, check the programs you are interested in your child attending and attach a deposit of 50% for each camp. Your check or credit card will be held until June 21. Your deposit will hold a spot for your child while we make sure the fit is right for the children in each camp. We will keep a waiting list for campers interested in a camp but not the first to enroll. You will be enrolled when we receive an enrollment form and payment and a camp packet will be mailed to you including medical information, developmental history, and a form for your child’s teacher/therapist to fill out for us. If your child is not accepted into a course due to poor fit or camp full, your check/credit card payment will be returned to you in full. If your child is accepted into the camp but you withdraw at a later date, your deposit will be refunded if we can fill your child’s spot in the class. Some children may require a short intake session prior to camp. Questions? Call Debbie at 408 557 8598. Mail to: The Lighthouse Project, 20 Harold Ave Suite 43, San Jose CA 95117

SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING A.M. sessions are from 9-11:30. P.M. sessions are from 12-2:30. Session I 6/24 – 6/27 P.M.: Detective Camp 2 4th – 6th grades A.M.: Cool 3 Camp 2nd – 4th grades P.M.: Engine Camp 2 5th – 6th grades A.M. Games for Math &Science 4-6th grades Session II 7/1 – 7/4 P.M.: Cool 2 Camp k-1st grade A.M.: Arts & Crafts Camp 3rd – 4th grade A.M.: Writing 2 Camp 6th – 8th grade Session III 7/8 – 7/11 A.M.: Detective 1 Camp 1st – 3rd grade P.M.: Engine 1 Camp 3rd – 4th grade P.M.: Magic Camp 1st – 2nd grade A.M.: Potions Camp 1st – 3rd grade A.M.: Writing 1 Camp 4th – 6th grade Session III 7/15 – 7/18 P.M.: Survivor 2 Camp 7th – 9th grade A.M.: Cool 3 Camp 3rd – 4th grades P.M.: Recess 1 Camp 2nd – 4th grades A.M.: Magic 2 camp 2nd – 3rd grades P.M.: Potions 2 4th – 5th grades Session IV 7/22 – 7/25 A.M.: Take over the World Camp 1 MS P.M.: Take over the World Camp 2 HS A.M.: Cool 1 Camp PreSchool P.M.: Recess 2 Camp 5th – 7th grades A.M.: Community Camp – 4-6th grade Session V 7/29 – 8/1 A.M.: Detective 1 Camp 1st – 3rd graders P.M.: Presentation Skills Camp HS Session VI 8/5 – 8/8 A.M.: Survivor 1 Camp 4th – 6th grade P.M.: Cool 2 Camp k-1st grades Session VII 8/12 – 8/15 P.M.: Detective 2 Camp 4th – 5th grade A.M.: Recess 1 Camp 2nd – 4th grade Weekly: Parent Boot Camp: Mondays 6/24 – 7/22 at 7:00 pm Handwriting I for Printers : Wednesdays 7/3 – 8/21 @ 3:00 pm Handwriting II for Cursive: Thursdays 6/27 – 8/14 @ 4:00 Friends Group 2 for 1-2nd graders: Wednesdays 7/3 – 8/21 @ 4:30 Friends Group 3 for 3-4th graders: Thursdays 6/27 – 8/14 @ 5:00 Ready for School for K – 1st graders: Tuesdays 7/2-8/20 at 3:00 Ready for PreSchool for preschoolers: Mondays 7/1-8/19 at 3:00

OT Toys that Fit in Plastic Eggs: Never miss an opportunity to work on skills in a fun way!

Eye-Hand and Fine Motor Development:

Jacks

Small balls

Small squirt animals

Wind up animals

Tops

Beads, bead buddy kits

Silly putty, play doh, clay

Small hair clips and clothespins

Small keys and locks

Glitter and sparkles

Exploding poppers

Poppers

Colorful string for String Games

Oral Motor

Whistles

Small bubble necklaces

Tiny candy

Pre-math and math skills

Dice (six sided, ten sided, etc. Buy multi-colored dice from game and hobby stores)

Marbles and other small manipulatives

Resources for these products include: Oriental Trading Company, Diddams, Wooden Horse Toy Store, Imaginarium, Learning Express, Lakeshore Learning Store, The Discovery Store

Book Review

By Rondalyn Whitney

I just had the good fortune to read several good books I wanted to pass on to you. The first one is called New Management by Rick Morris. The book is primarily written for teachers and classrooms but parents will find it helpful also. It provides countless organizing strategies for homework, paper work and other academic tasks. The skills the author covers includes helping children transition from one tasks to the next, helping them develop skills for turning in their homework papers more successfully and managing notes to and from the school. I thought it was a good program and could envision many of the children in the clinic benefiting from his suggestions. In fact, I thought the book, at $20, would make a great teacher appreciate gift! (hey, I never said I was subtle!). The book is written by a teacher and is teacher supportive and supported. You can get a copy by going to www.newmanagement.com or calling Rick at 858 455 6000.

Another book I’d like to recommend is the book How to Raise a Thinking Preteen by Myrna Shure. The book takes the reader through various methods of cognitive social thinking and supports a child’s ability to learn how to think about thinking, how to develop problem solving skills and helps parents learn how to foster these skills. Without realizing it, many parents teach children to be overly dependent or, the other extreme, fail to provide proper support. This book helps parents develop skills for providing the just right challenge to their child’s independence.

And finally, MY BOOK IS OUT! The book Bridging the Gap: Raising a Child with NLD can be purchased from Amazon.com, Specialneeds.com, Borders, Barnes and Noble or at the NLDA symposium in April. Of course I think this book is good, what can I say? But I hope you’ll find it helpful, inspiring and reassuring. I’m told by Amazon that they already have received many requests for advanced purchase!

Final tip: The NLDA symposium this year is expected to be phenomenal. We have exciting research breaking, we have a strong professional tract (so if you feel like the folks in your area are not adequately trained to meet the needs of your child, this is where to have that training happen). The parent tract this year will give you more than ample tools for supporting your child. The symposium is in Berkley so travel is easy. Every parent who has attended says it was by far the most helpful program they had attended, giving them countless skills, strategies and access to resources. I’ve enclosed the schedule and you can get more information at NLDA.org

SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING

A.M. sessions are from 9-11:30.

P.M. sessions are from 12-2:30.

Session I 6/24 – 6/27

• P.M.: Detective Camp 2 4^th – 6^th grades
• A.M.: Cool 3 Camp 2^nd – 4^th grades
• P.M.: Engine Camp 2 5^th – 6^th grades
• A.M. Games for Math &Science 4-6^th grades