Camp Attaway is a summer recreation program for children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. The campers come with a variety of difficulties/diagnoses ranging from poor peer and family relations, ADHD, depression, anxiety, mood disorders, high functioning autism, oppositional defiant disorder, and problems with expressing feeling and coping appropriately.

Ordinary summer recreation programs are widely available in the community. However, none are designed or capable of responding therapeutically to the emotional and behavioral needs of these children. Even with increased staffing and support, the ongoing difficulty posed by these children’s maladaptive behaviors results in exclusion or expulsion from mainstream programs. It was recognition of this gap in community services that led to the creation of Camp Attaway, Inc.

Our mission is to nurture the mind, body and spirit of children who are missing out on fun, friendship, success and achievement because of an inability to manage their emotions and behaviors. The camp began in 1996, and has now operated twenty-four three-week programs serving a total over 425 children (ages seven to thirteen) and their families. All children met the Camp’s entry criteria, having been identified with one or more serious emotional or behavioral disorders. Each child’s needs were of such severity as to require specialized therapeutic recreation in a highly structured and supportive setting.