Take 2: Teaching Children w/ Autism Washington, DC

Dear Friends of Take 2,

We just wrapped up another wonderful summer at Take2. The campers and staff have much to be proud of: they worked hard, learned a lot and, most importantly, had a lot of fun along the way. Each camper celebrated so many successes, whether it was….

• finding that there really is someone who loves dinosaurs as much as I do and while we might disagree about which dinosaur is the fiercest, we can still be friends
• realizing that if I lose a game of chess gracefully there will be opportunities for games in the future because people will want to play with me again
• discovering that when I cheer for others, they are more likely to cheer for me and that feels great
• overcoming a fear of heights, taking a plunge and riding the zip-line at Calleva camp…or
• figuring out that there is always a Plan B…..

 This summer’s curriculum focused on:

-          Week 1: “Thinking about Me” Labeling my own emotional experience and what strategies I can use to regulate myself when my feelings start to get out of control.  

-          Week 2: “Thinking about You”- How do I use the your “clues”… body language, tone of voice and facial expression to figure out what you are thinking and feeling?

-          Week 3: “Thinking about Us”- How do my thoughts differ from yours? How does my behavior impact the thoughts you are having and how can we create good thoughts in one another so that you want to be with me and I want to be with you?

-          Week 4: “Bringing it all Together”- The strategies and skills the campers acquired over the 3 weeks were put into action as we took several field trips and made gifts for one another.

 Please enjoy these photos for a glimpse of some of the wonderful moments we had this year at camp.  As always, we are so grateful for your support. 

Fondly,

Lynn