Tony at Camp CARD

Tony’s Summer at Camp CARD
By Susan Abbiati

Teen boy with dogMy son Tony, who is now 16 years old, has attended camp CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disorders) in York, Maine for the last two years. Tony has Asperger’s Syndrome, which makes other summer camps too challenging for him.

As an older camper at Camp CARD, Tony goes on work sites each day and learns new job skills; but more importantly, he learns what it takes to have a job. All of the teens that are in this program get paid $10.00 a day.  He has learned so much about himself while at camp CARD and has grown in many ways.

Tony now looks forward to going to camp each day and refers to it as “going to work.” He has learned the correlation between working and earning money for it, and takes each new job seriously.  He has learned patience and tolerance with himself and with others, and he has gained a lot of self-confidence.  Tony recalls, “My favorite part of going to Camp CARD was learning how to interact with lots of different people, and learning how to do various jobs in the community.”

Camp CARD is small and has a ratio of about seven or eight campers to at least three adults. It is a safe place to learn the all-important social skills and to develop personal relationships.  Tony really enjoys this camp and will forever benefit from all that he learns there. For teens interested in Camp CARD, Tony offers this advice, “Get ready to make friends with your co-workers, your counselors, and Belle the dog.”

For more information about Camp CARD, call 603-50-5260 or email Cindy at: CARDNE@maine.rr.com