Camp MakeBelieve Kids

A Social and Emotional Learning Program that Builds Emotional Competence in Children. The place where youth learn to believe in themselves.

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Autism and CMB Kids

Quirky, loner...the terms change over the years, they get mixed up, they get lumped together but one thing is clear: The parents and caregivers of a child with autism face challenges that are unimaginable for any ‘typical’ person to contemplate.  

Our empathy and compassion goes out to all of you courageous parents out there who have stumbled through the muck of red tape, false promises and smug reassurances in the midst of your own confusion and fear, in your struggle to get help for your child.  God bless.

His first coo ... Her first smile ... His first laugh ... Her first word...

What new parent doesn’t dream of these milestones for their babies? Then cheer, call and send photos to gram, auntie – and sometimes, the immediate zip code, when Junior moves from helpless infant toward interacting with his world – and most of all, you? 

Our egos soar, as we take pride in our children’s development, seeing each step as one step closer to sharing the joys of cuddling, communicating, watching their play, their progress in school, and eventually reaching goals that will bring them happiness, fulfillment, love – and independence.

But what happens when we suspect something may be wrong? When, instead of those big toddler eyes gazing at us with adoration, smiling in response to our love, or babbling “mama” and “dada” with purpose, they seem stuck. The smiles and words don’t come, or if they do, suddenly stop. Or rather than leaping forward, they engage in behavior that seems odd, regressive or locked in a world apart. A world that we feel even we can’t enter?  

As parents, even with a first child, we are equipped with radar. We can sense, even at the youngest ages, that something’s gone awry. We may push it away. We may make excuses ... 

“James is a little slower to develop – so what?” We may be ashamed. We may pray this is a stage. We may hide our concerns. But they’re there, haunting us. The very idea, that there may be some serious developmental problem that our child may not be “normal,” that he or she may not be able to show or tell us of the love they feel is often too crushing, too painful to admit.  And even if we did admit it, what could we possibly do about it? 

These are feelings of so many parents who suspect or have learned that their child is autistic. For some, the very word conjures images of a future filled with isolation and dependency. It’s no wonder parents are deeply frightened and might even resist verbalizing their fears, or seeking help.

The good news is, while there’s still much to be learned about this Developmental Disorder, much is now known. And much can be done. Our improving understanding of autism has proven that, regardless of the severity of the condition, with appropriate treatment and education, many of these children can learn and function productively. An important key is early diagnosis to implement appropriate treatment and education at an early age, when they can do the most good.

At Camp MakeBelieve, we have found that our parent memos are helpful for many parents of children with autism. As these children vary across a wide spectrum of functioning, it’s important for you, the parent, to determine if what we offer will suit your child’s needs and abilities. 

The Camp MakeBelieve Kids (CMB Kids) Program Helps

The first question you might have is: “Can my child benefit from the CMB Kids Program?” As the spectrum varies markedly, there is no one indicator, or list of skills we can provide you to answer that question fully.  You know your child best. We suggest you look over our CMB Kids Program carefully to determine if it meets your individual child’s needs. 

Some questions you might ask yourself include:

Will my child sit for awhile, work, and interact with me, as the parent?

Does my child show an interest in music and story?

Can my child understand questions when posed to him or her?

Can my child do simple activities when directed?

Could my child benefit from using imaginative exercise?

Could my child be taught to learn from watching another child’s mistakes?

Could my child benefit from learning how to relax his/her mind and body?

If so, the CMB Kids Program curriculum, workbooks and CDs have hundreds of activities and interventions that can be used at home; 1) interactive with parents, siblings and caregivers, 2) as an adjunct to Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) home therapy, 3) with other children from your Autism Support Group or  4) Home School Character Education curriculum.   

The CMB Kids Program is designed for elementary and middle school age children (varies according to maturity level) and focus specifically on those crucial areas – communication, socialization, control, and imagination – which are typically problematic for the autistic child. CMB Kids materials go right to the heart of improving social skills and emotional intelligence (EQ) including increasing awareness of feelings, behavior, consequences – and empathy. They are geared to stimulate the imagination, through art, music and play, offer effective anger management strategies and best of all, provide calm-down devices, when things start to spiral out of control. 

Our CMB Kids counselors are trained in providing accommodations and modifications to children with special needs.  Each activity can be modified and adapted to assist our members.  Further, there is a small leader to member ratio which allows us to give a lot of 1:1 assistance to the children when they are struggling. Our strategies and activities can provide that one-on-one experience that can be customized to suit the child.

As children with Autism take each new step in the Camp MakeBelieve Kids series and move closer toward Becoming a Master a Self-Control and a Master of SelfConfidence they will rejoice in the rewards they’ll reap with peers, family, the school and the community.

The Camp MakeBelieve Kids Social and Emotional Learning Program offers a foundation to build on, for a lifetime!

What are some frequent Myths and Facts about Autism?

For more information about Autism, click here.

Meet all the characters of the Camp MakeBelieve Kids program, such as Mr. Feathers!

 Testimony

"The study really shines a light on something many parents look for, but seems to elude them. Validation that the program works --RESULTS. Isn't that the biggest question you get, "What will the program give my son or daughter...what can I expect...how long will it take to see results?" I'm very proud Jake is attending the Camp MakeBelieve Kids program. The changes he's made are priceless!"

Lauren Alvaraz