Program Highlight: ABA Summer Camp

School can be a wonderful, structured place for a child on the autism spectrum. Transitioning to a break, like those in the spring or summer, with less structure than a typical school year can be incredibly challenging.  

The Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) day camp is a successful model for dealing with these challenges during the school breaks. The camp features one to one ABA therapy support alongside outdoor activities and community outings. This camp allows children on the spectrum to continue their therapy during the school breaks, which helps ease children back into their school routines. 

The ABA Camp has been providing a safe and structured environment for children on the spectrum, in the Surrey School District, since the summer of 2010. In 2018, the Camp started offering a spring camp. The Camp is designed to suit the needs of a variety of children on the autism spectrum who are participating in an ABA home program. The ABA Camp allows for a customizable structure with one and a half hours a day of one-on-one time for BIs to work on individualized targets. This structure and individualized support is what sets apart the ABA Camp from other programs.

Outings and Activities 

Camp leaders plan daily activities and outings for the students that might include crafts, snack time, art classes, and trips into the community. Typically, one-on-one support will take place in the morning, with outings to follow most afternoons. One day will be a longer outing. It is important to note that many of the outings involve water, e.g., water parks, pools, beaches, so support staff will need to be comfortable with water.

 Camp Eligibility 

• Students must be in a home-based ABA program run by a BCBA 
• Parents must recruit, hire, train, and pay their own Support Worker to accompany their child to ABA camp* 
• This camp gives preference to students in the Surrey School District; however, it is open to other kids if space is available 

* Parents may not accompany their own child to ABA camp, unless their BCBA can write a letter of support that the parent is fully trained in the child’s ABA home program.

If you meet the criteria above and want to register for the camp or learn more please contact the camp organizers HERE.