Most people think that when school ends on June 11th, we’re on vacation until the start of the next school year. Not true at the Barber National Institute! We have a number of programs that provide fun, recreational opportunities as well as encourage learning through the summer months.
“Connections” Camp for children and teens with high-functioning autism is one of the favorites. We initiated Connections Camp nine years ago, to help children develop and practice social skills in the most effective ways. This is always a thoroughly enjoyable camp experience, fostering new friendships and a lot of fun. Ryan participated in this program for a number of years. I saw significant improvements in his social interactions with his peers. I would recommend the program to all parents.
The Barber National Institute’s Camp Shamrock is a summer day camp program for children with disabilities between ages 5 and 21. Campers enjoy weekly field trips, access to the BNI pool and gym, and a variety of fun arts & crafts activities.
Happy Hearts Early Childhood Education for preschool aged children also operates all summer, until the start of the new school year. Happy Hearts provides a state-of-the-art educational experience where all preschool children have the opportunity to learn and grow. This fully-inclusive program serves typical children and children with identified developmental delays. Full or part-time enrollment is available based on family preference.
We also offer an Extended School Year Program, for school-aged students 5-21 years old, to allow them to continue to learn through the summer and avoid losing the critical skills they develop during the school year. Each student’s learning experiences integrate a variety of activities throughout the school day, to address their academic, behavioral, and therapeutic needs.
“Learn to Ride” Bike Camp is a four-week program to help children develop skills to ride their bikes independently. Camp will be offered in Erie and in Warren, PA free of charge in summer of 2015, funded by a grant from the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber Foundation. Bike Camp is open to any youngster in the community who is able to pedal but who has not been successful riding without training wheels.
I’m sure you’ll agree with me that it’s never too early to start planning for the summer, even if it’s snowing in April!
This week was created in 1971 in order to focus the public’s attention to the early childhood programs and services that young children so greatly need. Early childhood years, which are generally considered to be birth through age 8, are vital to a child’s health and development and will lay the foundation for a child’s success in school as well as life. This week is an ideal time to come together as citizens of a community, a state, and a nation to think of ways we can continue to improve the education and services for young children everywhere.
Additionally, Grow Up Great has been working with their partner, 
This is a day to laugh often and laugh loudly. After all, they say laughter is the best medicine!
Today is 
April is Autism Awareness Month! In honor of that, there are several great events going on in our community. Since it can be hard to keep up, I’ve created a timeline below for families to reference during this fun-filled month.
Today’s guest blogger is Cindy Priester, OTR/L, MS. Cindy is the Educational Program Coordinator at the Elizabeth Lee Black School. She was an OT for 31 years at BNI before accepting the coordinator position. She currently volunteers as a team member of BrainSTEPS.
BrainSTEPS (Strategies Teaching Educators, Parents, & Students) is a brain injury school re-entry consulting program that assists PA schools in creating educational plans for students following an acquired brain injury (ABI). There are a total of 30 BrainSTEPS teams throughout PA. Team members are volunteers as well as professionals in their field. Each team is comprised of education professionals and a wide range of medical rehabilitation professionals to allow proper assessment and care for each case. Every staff member must be fully trained at a day-long program and retrained every year.
All About Autism 