Students get jump start
JMU center holds fourth-annual camp
Posted on August 30, 2007
Most college students understand the frustration that arises when they get too distracted to finish a paper. They’re not alone.
This summer JMU’s Alvin V. Baird Attention and Learning Disabilities Center held it’s fourth annual JumpStart day camp, designed to help rising fourth through ninth graders with ADHD prepare for the upcoming school year.
“The campers benefited by learning skills that can help them compensate for the impairment associated with the disorder and the experience of working with a young adult who helped them enjoy their time and feel successful,” Dr. Steve Evans, director of the ALDC said.
The camp, held from Aug. 6-10, brought in 32 students. Placed in groups of 10 or 11, the campers worked with their counselor to develop skills in essay writing, note taking, project planning and organization. In addition, the counselors, 10 graduate and undergraduate students at JMU, got experience working with youth.
“I think that the counselors learned many of the realities of working with children and adolescents with ADHD,” Evans said. “They experienced the challenges associated with this work and the benefits of seeing children feel proud of themselves and know that you contributed.”
Counselor Christine Brady agreed.
“It was rewarding to see (the campers) grow over the week,” she said.
While the campers worked hard, it wasn’t all business.
Each day campers would participate in Art Works, a program designed to teach student’s about themselves while they have fun. This year’s activities included everything from crayrades, a clay version charades, to drawing.
“The art activities gave the students a chance to be creative and have their ideas accepted by the adults,” Evans said. “It was a relaxing and enjoyable time for many of them.”
In addition to Art Works campers participated in fitness activities each day, allowing them to make friends and release their energy.
“Many children with ADHD tend to withdraw from sports as it can be a failure experience for many of them,” Evans said. “The counselors taught them basic sports skills and provided a safe environment to enjoy and succeed at sports. We were not training them to become varsity athletes, but hopefully helping them feel comfortable enough that they can join a pick-up game in the neighborhood.”
Not only did these activities keep the campers busy during the week leading up to their classes, they took a lot out of it. Many campers learned to better interact with their peers, making friendships and building relationships. The camper’s also learned valuable tips to help get them through the school year.
“According to the parents of the campers, the most valuable thing the campers took away from JumpStart was a positive feeling about themselves,” Evans said. “They learned academic and social skills that helped them feel confident about approaching the challenges of a new school year.”