ADHD Summer Camp

Kids and teens with ADHD will, almost by definition, have a surfeit or energy. They are, after all, prone to hyperactivity!

Thus, to allow them to go to a specialized ADHD summer camp is to allow them to go to a place where the need to use that energy in the most constructive manner possible is recognized.

There are now quite a few centers running an ADHD summer camp throughout the USA and in Canada, and just a quick look at a few of them will indicate that all of the better ADHD summer camp centers bear many similarities to one another.

Set out below are a few of the most common key features of most of the leading ADHD summer camp centers that we looked at for this article:

Almost all place great emphasis on spending a much time as possible outdoors, in as natural an environment as possible. This tallies with the school of thought that children and teenagers with ADHD can often benefit from being in close proximity to the calm and peace of a restful natural environment.

All of the available ADHD summer camps clearly recognize that youngsters with ADHD need to have an outlet, or a range of varied and challenging outlets. for their excess energy. Thus, many ADHD summer camp centers will offer such activities as hiking, horse riding, mountain climbing and rafting, all designed to expend excess energy, whilst offering adventure and a chance for each individual participants to hone their personal team-building abilities.

Every good ADHD summer camp will recognize two specific characteristics within the individual ADHD sufferer. First, they will recognize that each individual is gifted in some way (often, in many ways) and that part of the job served by the ADHD summer camp is to bring these individual personal gifts to the fore. Second, these specialized summer camps acknowledge and work on the assumption that they must assist each individual ADHD affected youngster to develop and utilize skills and strategies, to help them deal with the specific stresses and challenges presented by their condition.

Finally, all the ADHD summer camp centers that we reviewed placed as much emphasis on the academic side of education as they did on the physical side. Thus, academic studies formed a core module of all the ADHD summer camp experiences that we looked at. It must be said, however, that in almost all cases, even these academic classes were conducted outdoors, and that this al fresco environment did seem to be far more conducive to enjoyable study than the staid classroom atmosphere that many of the youngsters would be more used to.

In conclusion, any young person affected by ADHD will without a doubt enjoy great benefits from having the chance to attend an ADHD summer camp.

And, of course, there is one other benefit that will be enjoyed by the parent of the ADHD affected youngster too, a benefit whose importance should not be underestimated.

Having their youngster attend an ADHD summer camp is a holiday for the parents too!

Suitably relaxed parents with a child or teenager who returns to the family home in a more laid-back frame of mind can only make for a happier household!

Everyone in the house benefits from the youngster having a great time at an ADHD summer camp!

It's literally a win-win situation for everyone concerned.

The author has compiled a FREE handbook of some of the best writings about ADHD from the last ten years, and you can access your personal copy from [http://SteveCowan.com/ADHD/book.html] He also analyzes the #1 ADHD Management Program on the net at [http://SteveCowan.com/ADHD] and blogs on ADHD & ADD related matters at http://SteveCowan.com/add