Camps may cover the entire summer and many work around Extended School Year schedules. Some states offer assistance for students with developmental disabilities or mental health issues, which could include financial help or a one-to-one aide.

Kids

Many parents struggle with finding activities for their children, especially during the summer months. This article provides a summary of some of the key summer options available for children with special needs.

EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR

Students with disabilities may be entitled to Extended School Year, or ESY, services. Please note that this is an IEP (Individualized Education Program) Team or 504 Plan Team decision each year. Many parents are concerned that their child may lose knowledge or skills during the summer. Families don't need to show actual regression for their child to be eligible for ESY services. An important issue for teams to consider is whether the child is in the process of acquiring an important skill that might be lost if there is a long break in instruction. It's also important for teams to consider the implications of the US Supreme Court's decision in Endrew F. on the need for ESY services to ensure that the student has the opportunity to meet appropriately ambitious, challenging objectives. The U.S. Department of Education has information on ESY (see Resources). If parents and the school district disagree about ESY, families can call the Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) in their state.

CAMP

Many children with disabilities can participate in typical camps and summer programs. There are resources available to help summer programs that serve all children more effectively meet the needs of children with disabilities. For example, the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council funded A Camp for Everyone! A Guide to Including Children of All Abilities in Summer Camp Programs (ucpde.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/a-camp-for-everyone-a-guide- to-including-children-of-all-abilities-in-summer-camp-programs.pdf).

There are also many camps available for children with special needs. It is beyond the scope of this article to cite the different types of camps. In fact, Exceptional Parent magazine devotes an entire issue each year to cover the theme of camps and schools. For more information, please see the most recent article "Transitioning into Summer: Finding Camps for Children with Special Healthcare Needs" for an overview at eparent.com/education/transitioning-into-summer-finding-camps-for-children-with-spe- cial-healthcare-needs/.

In general, camps could be day camp or overnight, for anywhere from a few days to the entire summer. Some may involve physical activity, others a specific skill or sport such as basketball camp or arts and crafts. Camps may cover the entire summer and many work around ESY schedules. Some states offer assistance for students with developmental disabilities or mental health issues, which could include financial help or a one-to-one aide.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Children with disabilities should be involved in physical fitness to the best of their ability. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children with special needs are more at risk of obesity and secondary health conditions such as heart disease or diabetes.* Even an outing to the park can be challenging, but there are now lists of accessible playgrounds. There are physical activity guides for children with special needs available from Bright Futures. The National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability has an online course, "14 Weeks to a Healthier You". Action for Healthier Kids has a section on Including All Children at actionforhealthykids.org/what-we-do/pro- grams/game-on/about-game-on/850-children-disabilities.

grams/game-on/about-game-on/850-children-disabilities. Many YMCAs have either inclusive programs or programs for children with disabilities, and some have camps too. There is accessible baseball with peer buddies from either Little League or Miracle League. Finally, Special Olympics has both individual and team sports, and they also have Project Unify which uses peer mentors in schools.

SETTING UP CAMP: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all camps to make reasonable accommodations (such as the installation of wheelchair-accessible ramps) so that kids with special needs can attend.