Background and information: My autistic son, now age eight, has attended Camp Royall for two summers. He is pretty hard to please, but really loves this camp. He was only five years old his first summer at Camp Royall. At the time, we weren’t receiving ANY services, so the week long camp session was such a wonderful break for us, his parents, also.

The Autism Society of North Carolina had established a summer program for autistic campers as long ago as 1972. Camp Royall was opened in 1997 on a 133 acre site in Chatham County, NC and is within a mile or two of Pittsboro, NC. Volunteers have worked very hard to help build the camp, and it shows in the nice facilities available to campers at Camp Royall. The Autism Society also built a sister campground called Mountain Adventure in the Western part of North Carolina. Between the two camps, the Autism Society of NC served 405 autistic individuals (both adult and youth) in summer 2002.

To be eligible to attend the camp, applicants must be residents of North Carolina and must submit a formal diagnosis of autism or a related disorder. The summer is divided into one week sessions and campers are assigned sessions according to age and ability. While is some mixing of ages and abilities, Camp Royall tries to group younger children together in same sessions and adults have separate sessions with activities appropriate to their age. Certain weeks are targeted to the high functioning. We had to fill out a bible-sized application that asked for each and every detail of our son’s needs and abilities. This form will also ask about any special dietary considerations, allergies, etc. Camp Royall is wonderful about attending to the special diets and food preferences of the campers.

Counselors: Our son has been diagnosed as moderate, but we felt he needed one-on-one attention. Children like our son will have a counselor who works with them exclusively. The first summer our son attended, he had a female counselor in her early twenties who was working toward her masters in Psychology at Duke. Not only is the camper counselor ratio excellent (1:1 or 1:2), but all the counselors are caring and intelligent and will quickly pitch in wherever needed. Counselors at Camp Royall are typically college students or teachers and many return year after year. All new staff receive a week of training prior to camp, and appear to be very comfortable working with such a diverse and challenging population. A professional from ASNC or another autism agency spends the week at camp and is available for consultation and continued training.

Our Experience: Our son was only five years old his first summer at Camp Royall. We were very worried about sending our baby to a camp so far away all by himself. When we arrived at camp, we were directed to the main dining hall, which is a new and attractive wooden building near the front of the campground. We had a short wait while other campers were being checked in, and in the meantime, our son was able to play with the toys in the hall. I filled out a couple of forms and a counselor was assigned to our son. It is at this time that the camp will gather prescriptions and dosage information, and any other medical concerns. We met our son’s counselor. She was a slightly-built, young, attractive, woman, and I feared our son may overwhelm her. We talked briefly and gave her some more information on our son’s habits, likes and dislikes. We then proceeded to the cabin where he’d be staying that week.

Cabins: Yes - these are cabins, but just barely. I think “cottages” would be a better term. The cabins (all identical), are newly constructed, air conditioned, and house about 13-14 campers. There is a bathroom in each cabin also. To our delight, our son was given a private room - which worked out best that first year. His counselor was a warm and friendly person and promised to call us as soon as possible to tell us about his week. Our son cried and ran after our car as we pulled away from the cabin, which just about killed me. I wondered if I’d made the right decision.

Activities: This camp is wonderful in addressing both physical play and in integrating small doses of painless, education to campers. Activities include swimming, boating (in pond), hiking, games, theme nights, singing, skits, and all the "normal" camp stuff. Additionally, the camp staff works with campers on gross motor skills, speech, socialization, etc. by engaging campers in creative and unique activities that fool them into thinking that they're just goofing off. I wish I had their talents! Some activities are just plain silly - like the shaving cream fights and running through the "super" sprinkler. The counselors seem to really understand the fragility of the autistic camper's "good mood" and temper activities to reality instead of what is on the schedule.

The week away: That week my son was at Camp Royall was bittersweet. It was lovely to be able to move about freely and live “normally” for a change. On the other hand, I was so worried about him and felt guilty about leaving him alone for a whole week. His counselor didn’t call for a couple of days, which made me absolutely crazy. When she did call she informed me of all his activities and that he was doing very well. He especially liked the swimming pool (not news to me) and they spent a lot of time swimming. After the call, I could finally relax a bit. She called me daily after that.

Camper Pick-up I missed my son so much, I couldn’t wait to pick him up! We were again directed to the Main Dining Hall where all the campers were gathered for a talent show for the parents. Our son was very happy to see us, but wasn’t in a panic to leave either. To my surprise, he performed like a champ in the talent show and had everyone laughing. Before we left he wanted to show us the pond where he liked to go out on the boat. His counselor gave us a blow-by-blow journal of our son’s activities and behaviors for the entire week. We said our good-byes and went home with our tanned and happy five year old son.

Final Notes: Camp Royall is a wonderful experience for both campers and their families. All families are encouraged to tour the grounds and meet any and all staff. Our son was able to enjoy the camp experience just like any “normal” child and came home a bit more independent and worldly. The camp fees are on a sliding scale based on income, so that children from all socio-economic backgrounds can enjoy it! My son went back to Camp Royall the following year, but this time slept in a bunk bed in the common room. He shared a counselor with another child who became his buddy that week. If I mention Camp Royall at any time, his face lights up and he says “Go get your bags!”.

Please check out the Camp Royall website which has lots of information and pictures of the camp:

http://www.autismsociety-nc.org/html/summer_camp.html







Recommended:
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): n/a
Type of Camp: Outdoor
Best Suited For: Other
Camper to Counselor Ratio: Wall-to-wall counselors