Ben has been attending Cahoots camps for activities for more than a year and very much looks forward to his camp time. He is nonverbal and interacts with his family, teachers and others by using gestures, eye contact and a communication device. Ben loves anything to do with water, particularly swimming activities, water play and water slides. He also likes travelling, seeing new places and riding on buses, trains and having plenty of room to run around. He also very fond of a good pizza – no matter what healthy food might be on top of it!
According to Ben’s mum, “He really loves the camps because they have activities which really appeal to Ben’s sensory needs such as water activities and trampolining. Thanks to the Cahoots camps and the great work of staff and volunteers, Ben is learning to interact with other kids and the team leaders.. Cahoots has been great at developing Ben’s independence and his communication skills as being outside his family safe zone means he needs to reach out and work harder to communicate his needs and keep the routine of camp. Without Cahoots, Ben wouldn’t be participate in day to day fun activities with kids like him as he needs a lot of supervision as well as encouragement to do what other kids and their families take for granted. I always recommend Cahoots to families with children who have similar sorts of needs as Ben, as well as kids with higher support needs, as I believe Cahoots staff and volunteers and their commitment to the kids means parents can feel assured that not only are their kids having fun but they are cared for and safe.
There’s lots of trust that is needed to be involved, particularly with kids who are non-verbal, and Cahoots do a great job of communication with parents”
