Region of Mercy
Child Camp
CSS contribution, rubles
Total budget, rubles
Implementation period, months
Project idea
Setting up an inclusive camp for families with children with autism spectrum disorder on the Black Sea coast at the Albatros recreation center. The project's activities are aimed at improving children's health and enhancing their level of social interaction through intensive sessions based on methods most suitable for working with children with ASD, in a specially created inclusive environment tailored to each child's abilities and resources.
As part of the camp activity, work is also carried out with parents on health improvement and acquiring new practical skills for working and interacting with their own child. Families with children aged 3 to 14 years with autism and their neurotypical peers from low-income families participate in the camp's summer session. The camp session lasts 10 days.
A team of specialists with the necessary knowledge and skills for working with children with ASD is involved in running the camp session. Children are tested and diagnosed before entering the camp. The daily schedule in the camp session is clearly structured and includes various activities.
During the camp session, sessions with a psychologist, a sensory integration specialist, and an art therapist are planned, focusing on developing speech and communication, behavior correction, social competence development, compensation for sensory integration dysfunction, creative ability development, and social adaptation.
Inclusive practice is carried out during group, recreational, and sports activities. Parents are also active participants in the events held. Individual psychological consultations and group training sessions are organized for them, aimed at reducing anxiety and depressive states, along with lectures on methods for working with children.
The inclusive camp is a unique platform for children with ASD to develop social skills, acquire educational and developmental experience both independently and collaboratively, and serves as an essential means of socio-pedagogical rehabilitation. 30 people will participate in the camp session.
Relevance
According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 160 children suffers from autism spectrum disorder. In the Krasnodar region, there are 1,213 children diagnosed with autism.
Children with ASD and their families need qualified psychological and pedagogical assistance, and inclusive children's recreation is a significant part of the measures for integrating the children into society.
According to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a child with a disability has the right to rest and leisure, which provides an opportunity to recuperate, improve health, as well as engage in creativity and receive new bright and memorable experiences on par with other children.
Today, many children with disabilities suffering from psychoneurological diseases do not receive sanatorium-resort treatment in the sanatoriums of the Krasnodar region, as the programs are not adapted to their needs.
The inclusive family camp with parents and typically developing peers serves as an alternative to sanatorium-resort rest, taking into account the special needs of children with ASD, expanding their rehabilitation potential, and promoting their integration into society. Psychological support for parents is a necessary condition for the successful social adaptation of the family.
Social effect
Strengthening parent-child relationships in families raising children with ASD in the city of Krasnodar and the Krasnodar region.
KPI
KPI
Project Results
The project has brought significant results, improving the physical condition and quality of life of children with ASD, as well as increasing their level of socialization and adaptation.
Parents acquired numerous practical skills in working and interacting with children with ASD, which allowed them to better understand and support their child.
The problematic behavioral features of each participating child were addressed through intensive activities. The children received a strong impetus in developing their skills.
Families participating in the project gained a tremendous boost of energy and positive emotions, which will give them the strength for further painstaking work on their children's socialization.
As a result of staying in the camp with neurotypical peers, children with ASD acquired new social competencies.
The psycho-emotional state of the siblings improved, and they became more confident in communicating with their brothers/sisters with developmental differences. The range of contacts among all children has expanded.
Parent-child relationships were harmonized.
Project progress after CSS funding
There are plans for the annual continuation of the inclusive family camp for beneficiary families.
