The Ultimate Summer Experience

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. -- Kenneth Zweifel could barely control his excitement as he told his parents stories of the week he had at camp.
He had been to summer camps before but Kenneth, 14, said he never felt more comfortable than he did at Camp Coast, a YMCA of the Suncoast summer camp designed specifically for children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Kenneth celebrated the last day of Camp Coast Friday afternoon surrounded by his new friends as he spoke about his favorite day of camp, a field trip to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

Film Camp Puts Autistic Children in Director's Chair

MORAGA, Calif. -- In a small classroom at St. Mary's College, Joey Travolta is in "director mode."

From testing sound equipment to pointing out markers in the scene where his actors should stand to deliver their lines, every aspect of the room he commands is reminiscent of a Hollywood film set.

The only difference for Travolta is that his actors are not from California talent agencies, but instead are between the ages of 9 and 22, all possessing differing forms of autism or Asperger's syndrome.

Children with Down Syndrome Find Balance at Camp

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Worthington Kilbourne High School students attended school an extra week to run alongside bicycles and lend a steady hand to help disabled students "lose the training wheels."

"It was incredible to witness the immense patience, understanding and love between the campers and volunteers," said Assistant Principal Kevin Johnson. "It was a tremendous example of our extended community coming together to help each other."

Summer Camp Brings Fun to Children with Autism

LUBBOCK, Texas- As Lane Barnett grew up, no camps existed for children like her.

Now, Barnett, 31, helps give other kids a chance by volunteering at the Burkhart Camp for children with autism.

"I see it through their eyes," said Barnett who was diagnosed with autism at age 18. "I know how hard it is."

She works with nine other students from the Burkhart Transition Academy, a post-secondary school for young adults focused on helping them find jobs.

Since 2005, the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research has provided services to people with autism and their families, while educating future teachers.

But this is the first summer they've held a camp.

"This population of kids, they didn't have a camp to go to," said Janice Magness, director of the Burkhart Transition Academy and the camp.

Camp for Kids With Autism Offers Extreme Therapy

Tremendous job by John Donvan of ABC News for his incredible story about an extreme sports camp for children on the spectrum.

Consider what it does to the senses when you're in a kayak on the Colorado River and you hit white water. You can't hear anything but the water. There's spray in your face. Violent drops. Wicked turns. And fear -- moments when the river seems to be in control, not you. In short, it's total sensory overload, a total adrenaline rush.
But if you have autism -- like most kids at the Extreme Sports Camp near Aspen, Colo. -- it's overload times 20, or times 100. And that's the point: to take kids to their limits, and beyond.

Where Campers with Autism Fit Right In

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Most people have had a time in their life when they felt like they didn't belong. We've all felt awkward in a social setting, and most of the time, those moments pass. But for children with autism, those awkward moments happen every day and those days can stretch to a lifetime. It's not that children with autism don't want friends or don't want to play like other children, it's that they were born without the tools to do so.
But for the week at Camp Rising Sun, the campers get a chance for an ordinary experience, just like any other kid.
"For a week, we make sure these kids don't feel like outsiders," said Laura White, the camp's founder and director.