Testimonials

My grandson has been in training (hundreds of hours of therapy) for the Super Bowl his entire life. He finally had a chance to play in the big game. The opportunity to put his much practiced skills into play in a real life - real time setting was invaluable. Therapy sessions are not real life - skills do not become embedded until they are employed in a myriad of settings. That is what this camp provided for him - an opportunity to use and perfect his existing skills and the guidance to learn new ones.

—

We were really happy and relieved to find that such a great resource was available this summer. Knowing that our son would be in a structured, supportive and fun environment was important to us -- we don't feel comfortable sending him to just any summer camp so it was great knowing he was in a good place and also learning valuable skills. During the school year, he doesn't get enough social skills coaching and no one ever takes the time to teach basic recreational activities, so we think this is a really important program. We're looking forward to coming back next year!

—

Camp was outstanding -- highly competent staff, really carefully thought out program geared towards success at and outside of camp, excellent parent education sessions. I loved the sports piece as a way to learn social skills, build confidence, work as a team, follow rules, and have fun. And the daily goals that the counselors identified and worked on with him were right on the mark. I can’t say enough good things about the camp - except that I wished it had been eight weeks in duration.

—

This was the best money ever spent for our family.

—

My son really responded to the structure. He fell right into the program and was excited to go everyday, which is a big deal!

—

We have been looking for an appropriate summer camp for our son for many years. This was the first time we found one that we feel truly met his needs. Our son had a wonderful time and we look forward to him returning next year.

—

My children had a wonderful summer at camp. They learned important skills and became more self aware of their actions. They were also forced to participate. In the past they would sit out and not learn how to play. They were becoming more introverted and distracted. By forcing them to play they became engaged and realized how much fun it was to be part of a group and have fun. We learned a lot of skills that how will make us ready for school. My son is often the target of bullies and I believe some of the skills he learned at camp will help him stay out of situations that could make him the target. It was also wonderful having supervision that understood why the children acted the way they do. Most camps and schools [don’t] have patience for kids with ASD and they feel like there is something wrong with them. At camp they are allowed to be themselves and learn in a kind manner how to change behavior that others might see as distracting or odd. Please continue this camp the kids with ASD need a place to go and be a kid and not worry about being judged. Thanks again for caring.

—

We have experienced rapid and visible progress. Five weeks at Apex equals 1 year of traditional therapy programming. The focus on real world scenarios allows the child to absorb and apply the content all in the same action; it is highly effective for our camper. This is sadly missing from traditional therapy models. Having diligently investigated and participated in numerous therapies over the past 5 years, I can say there isn’t anything out there that comes close to the Apex model. Strengthened through the Apex Booster program, we see our camper not only retain the new skill sets, but to broaden them throughout the school year. We saw a complete integration of proper “sequencing” come online this year. He started asking questions, “Do you remember?.” For the first time he began using classmates names when talking about the days camp activities – without prompting. He has started asking family “How was your day – your experience? These are brand new skills – they came from APEX.

—

This program has made a significant difference for my son. It has improved his confidence, sports skills, and abilities to socialize appropriately. I would (and do) highly recommend the program to other families affected by autism. So THANK YOU for making it possible to participate!

—

We had a wonderful experience at the camp - our child benefited greatly from socializing with other kids in an environment that mimicked "real life" activities that our kids would experience in school, camp, etc. We are blown away by the dedication of the staff to the program and our kids- we felt comforted knowing our child was in a kind, nurturing setting that encouraged success & positive reinforcement vs. frequent discipline & negative reinforcement. We are definitely looking forward to signing up next year!

Apex Summer Camp • UW Autism Center • Box 357920 • Seattle, WA 98195 • apex@uw.edu • Phone: 206.221.CAMP (2267) • Fax: 206.685.8490

206-221-CAMP (2267) apex@uw.edu