Week #1: October 3rd and 5th - 4:00-5:30

Focus: Goal creation

● 4:00-4:20 - Introductions to camp (full group)

○ Name, age, grade, pronouns, mood
○ Zones of regulation
○ Introduction to camp goal
■ Create authentic relationships with peers and staff
■ Increase socialization, and how to use initiation and termination
techniques.
■ Emotional Regulation and self-advocating
○ Discuss what group goals we want for the entire session.
■ Group should add between 2-3 goals.
● 4:20-4:40- Move into grade specific groups
○ Create group norms
■ Should be stated in positive language (ie., walking feel NOT no running)
● There should be between 5-6
○ Give brainstorming time for students to think about and write one personal goal
they have for the camp (provide options for students that are stumped)
○ Students will then design a piece of paper with their goal on it and different ways
they can achieve that.
○ SMART Goals
■ EX: Goal Ideas:
● 4:40-5:15
○ Big group game to get bodies moving
○ Group goal is focused on team work and communicating with peers
○ Protect your flag (team game)
● 5:15-5:25 Processing questions
○ What was it like when your hulahoop tower got knocked down?
○ What communication skills did you need to play this game?
○ What communication was unhelpful during this game?
○ What type of communication was most affective?
● 5:25-5:30- check out and goal reflection
○ Daily check-out
Week #2: October 10 and 12- 4:00-5:30
Focus: Initiating Communication
● 4:00-4:15- Grade check-in
○ Name, pronouns, mood, goal
○ What superpower would you have if you could?
● 4:15-4:45 New peer rotation
○ (3rd, 4th, 5th)
■ Lego building with three peers at a time
○ (6th, 7th, 8th)-Each pod member needs to work with another pod member on
card games
■ Goldfish
■ Uno
■ Speed
■ Slapjack
● 4:45-4:55: Processing
○ What was it like to work with a new peer?
○ What was challenging about working with a new peer?
○ What type of communication did you need to use?
● 4:55-5:25: low ropes initiatives
○ TP shuffle
○ Whale Watch
○ Protect your peer
● 5:25-5:30:check out/goal reflection
Week #3: October 17 and 19
Focus: Encouraging Language
● 4:00-4:20- Check-in
○ Go over group norms
○ Go over group goals
○ Check-in
■ Mood, and thing that makes them feel loved.
○ Model encouraging language and have the students provide examples and
model the interactions
● 4:20-5:15: high ropes course with parents
○ Comfort circle
○ Harnesses
○ High ropes
● 5:15-5:30:closing circle
○ Compliment beads
Week #4: October 24 and 26
Focus: Building Connections
● 4:00-4:30- Check-in
○ Go over group norms
○ Go over group goals
○ Check-in
■ Mood, and coolest Halloween costume you have seen?
○ Red, Yellow, and Green activity in pods about how to build connections
■ Reciprocal communication
■ Asking questions
■ Staying until the end of a conversation
● 4:30-5:15- Pumpkin carving
○ Focuses on
■ Sharing, safety with tools, creativity, non-perfectionism
● 5:15-5:30:closing circle
○ Share about pumpkin carving
○ What was it like
Week #5: Halloween (NO CAMPERS) and November 2
Focus: Community engagement
● 4:00-4:05- Check-in
○ Go over group norms
○ Go over group goals
○ Go over schedule
● 4:05-4:30: Transition to Millcreek Commons
○ In the car, you will be practicing ordering food
■ The kids will tell you what is appropriate and not when talking and in
public. This includes eye contact, full sentences, pleasantries, and paying
● 4:30-5:25:
○ Skate around Millcreek Commons
○ Order food at food trucks
● 5:25-5:30
○ Check out
Week #6: November 7 and 9
Focus: Coping skills
● 4:00-4:15- Check-in
○ Go over group norms
○ Go over group goals
○ Check-in
■ Mood, and thing that makes them feel loved.
● 4:15-5:00:
○ Coping skills Bingo
■ Together we come up with a HUGE list of coping skills
● (write everything down even unhealthy things and we re-frame
them)
■ As a group we will erase the ones that are unhealthy and combine ones
that are similar to turn them into self-care (pair list down)
■ Everyone creates their own bingo card filling in each square with a coping
○ Practice coping skills
■ Each student needs to pick three different coping skills to try with a
counselor, this can include fidget exploration, coloring, movement break,
etc.
○ IF TIME- Corner game
● 5:15-5:30:closing circle
○ Goal reflection
○ Information for the following week
Week #7: November 14 and 16
Focus: Reciprocal Communication
● 4:00-4:30- Check-in
○ Go over group norms
○ Go over group goals
○ Check-in
■ Mood, check in question.
○ Split into groups of three
■ Each group (with counselor help) will be given a scenario (below) and
asked to practice how they would talk through it with their peers
● Sharing a toy
● Talking about something you don’t like
● Giving a compliment
● When someone cries
○ Give examples of how they will be using reciprocal communication during this
activity.

● 4:30-5:15:
○ Challenge by choice
○ Spotting
○ Inside low initiatives
■ Marshmallow pretzel
■ Indiana jones
■ Lock n’ key
● 5:15-5:30:closing circle
■ What was it like to communicate with our peers when we needed
something?
■ What actions worked to get a peer’s attention?
■ What actions did we like?
○ Goal reflection
○ Preview to the following week.
Week #8: November 21
Focus: Interpersonal Connection and communication
● 4:00-4:15- Check-in
○ Go over group norms
○ Go over group goals
○ Check-in
■ Mood, check in question.
● 4:15-5:00:
○ Challenge by the choice reminder
○ Spotting
○ Inside
■ Cargo net
■ Bouldering wall
● 5:00-5:30:closing circle
○ Reflect on goals for the session
○ Talk about goals and ways to keep working on them outside of here.
American Psychiatric Association (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).

https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Evaggelinou, C. & Mpella, M. (2018). Does theatrical play promote development of social skills in

students with autism? A systematic review of the methods and measures employed in the literature.

Preschool & Primary Education, 6 (2), 96-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.12681/ppej.16135