Ehrlo Sport Venture is operating a summer Autism Camp in the city of Regina for a second year.

Ehrlo Sport Venture was previously approached by the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region to develop programming for autistic children and youth with autism spectrum disorders. A contract and program were later created, resulting in the summer Autism Camp launched in 2012.

The recreational-based camp is designed for autistic children aged three to six, said Sport Venture manager Laura Logan.

Specially-trained staff work with the children one-on-one, assisting their learning and development.

Fifteen children attend the Autism Camp on a weekly rotational basis, for a maximum of four weeks. Throughout camp, children are introduced to recreational activities, structured play, and learning.

“A lot of them will be going to a discovery preschool or preschool in the fall and a lot of them have never been in any type of structured environment so we really focusing on social cues when we go out into public,” explained Logan.

Children are introduced to playgrounds, classrooms, and other social situations which help foster an understanding of teamwork, sharing, communication, relationships, and other social skill concepts, said Logan.

This year, special emphasis has been placed on integration. In addition to specialized programming, children from the summer Autism Camp will interact with non-autistic children from the Ehrlo Early Learning Centres.

“It will encourage the children in our camp to intermingle amongst all the other children,” said Logan. “We really have a huge focus on integrating; (the children) need to learn how to function and have friends and peers of all kinds.”

The summer Autism Camp is separate from the Respite Camp which is specifically designed for children and youth living with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder which also run during the summer.

For more information about Sport Venture summer camps contact Laura Logan at (306) 751-2410.