Camp is an incredible way to maintain your child’s social skills and generalize them into the outside world. For many kiddos, transitions like this may be tough. Talking about camp as much as you can, and telling your child what he/she should expect will be the key to success. A visual schedule or social story can also help with a transition like this. If your camp has the option to provide your child with a tour prior to camp starting, then you should definitely take this opportunity! This can mentally prepare your child for what to expect and be able to visualize it as well. If this is not an option, flood your child with pictures and videos from the internet of what the camp looks like.
Another thing that would be very beneficial is to introduce him/her to the camp counselor ahead of time. A phone call or zoom meeting would work great for this. The idea is to ease in to this big transition in as many ways as possible. Having your child meet the adult he/she will be spending time with can ease the anxiety of meeting someone new on day one. This is a great time for you as a parent to prepare the counselor with anything he/she may need to look out for in regards to your son or daughter’s behaviors. Having your BCBA connect with the counselor can be helpful as well.
Finally, do as much roleplay at home as possible with social scenarios your child may come in contact with at camp. Pick five social scenarios your child will most likely have on day one of camp. For example: introducing him/herself, saying how old he/she is, what his/her favorite hobby is, and possibly his/her favorite ice cream flavor (you never know what type of ice breakers counselors will use!). Talk these things through with your child and praise him/her for answering and reciprocating these questions. Lastly, keep reminding your child how much fun he/she will have and you are here to support him/her through the process. Good luck!