Weight loss camps for children with special needs – What does Camp Lee Mar have to offer?
When first time parents contact us for information about Camp Lee Mar they usually have one of three concerns about their child’s weight.
- Their child is regular weight for their age and height and parents want assurance that their child will retain their current health and weight during the summer.
- Their child may struggle with their weight as a result of low muscle tone, a genetic difference or a low tolerance for exercise.
- Their child may struggle to maintain weight due to having very limited food preferences, oral motor challenges or a high metabolism.
At Camp Lee Mar we have a very active, structured program. We serve all of our meals family style. We aim to nurture the social and emotional growth of every child at Camp Lee Mar.
When considering our campers’ weight and dietary needs during the summer, we look at each camper’s medical information and parent input. We carefully consider food allergies and special diets, working with our parents to assure we provide the best possible care.
We are aware that for many of our campers their physical activity over the summer is far greater than during the school year. To attain a baseline of our campers’ physical health we record each camper’s height and weight during their first day at Camp Lee Mar. Any campers that we feel need to be more closely monitored due to low weight, weight maintenance, or higher body weight due to the physical activity at camp, we monitor on a weekly basis.
We encourage all of our campers to follow a healthy diet during our family style meals at camp. We keep our campers focus at meals times on feeling well and looking after their bodies. We help our campers to understand that each person has differing nutritional needs. We never focus on a child’s weight or foods being good or bad. We help our campers understand what foods will allow their body to feel well, foods that will help them gain the energy they need for all the fun activities at camp.
We never want our dining rooms to be a negative or restrictive environment for our campers. Our dining rooms are a happy, social place. A place where our campers learn to make friends, feel confident in themselves, and learn to make healthy choices. Our campers return home happy, healthy, as well as physically and emotionally stronger!
Although Camp Lee Mar does not offer weight loss camps for children with special needs, we do offer a program that nurtures the whole child. A program that, as a whole, helps each child achieve their goals!
Written by Lynsey Trohoske
My name is Lynsey Trohoske, I am the assistant director at Camp Lee Mar. I have three amazing children, my middle child happens to be on the autism spectrum and is a camper at Lee Mar. I joined camp as a counselor in 1998 and loved the campers and their families so much that Camp Lee Mar became my second home!
