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How to Prepare Your Child with Autism for a Structured Summer?

JULY 2, 2025
Children enjoying autism summer camp in Toronto

As the school year winds down, many families start thinking about summer plans. For children with autism, this transition can be exciting, but it may also bring challenges, especially around sticking with routine, staying engaged, and continuing with the right supports. With thoughtful planning and the right support, your child can continue making progress all summer long without missing a step.

At Surrey Place, we believe every season is a chance for growth. That’s why we offer autism therapy services, family resources, and engaging autism summer camps designed to help children stay on track and feel supported year-round. To help you get started, here are some practical tips for creating a fun, structured, and successful summer for your child.

1. Establish a Predictable Daily Routine

Children with autism often feel most confident in environments where they know what to expect. A predictable summer routine helps them feel secure and reduce stress during transitions.

Try to maintain familiar routines around daily activities like wake-ups, mealtimes, learning, play, and bedtime. You can also use visual schedules or daily planners to plan and ensure predictability. Involving your child in building the schedule can also be a great way to get them excited and more involved in making decisions! This type of summer structure not only provides comfort, but it can also support in building skills and helps prevent regression.

“One of the biggest changes we see is how routines help children feel in control, especially when everything else is changing.” –Adrienne Greenspan, Registered Behaviour Analyst, Autism Behavioural Services

2. Find the Right Summer Camp Experience

Summer camps are certainly a time of fun, but it’s also more than that! Camp can be a nurturing environment for learning, growth, and maintaining developmental progress. A well-structured autism-friendly camp helps ensure your child:

  • Stays active in a safe, structured, play-based environment
  • Builds social connections and make new friends
  • Gains independence and confidence
  • Continues developing important life skills

At Surrey Place, our camps are built on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) principles, creating a supportive setting where learning is embedded in play and every activity has a purpose.

“You can see the joy on their faces. While they’re laughing, they’re also building skills that last a lifetime.” –Adrienne Greenspan, Registered Behaviour Analyst, Autism Behavioural Services

So, what’s the difference between ABA Summer Camps vs. ABA Group Therapy?

ABA Summer Camps

Our summer camps provide full-day programming that integrates ABA therapy goals with recreational experiences. Unlike traditional group therapy sessions, camps include:

  • Games, sensory activities, and hands-on learning.
  • Community outings and real-life skill practice.
  • Social opportunities with peers in an inclusive environment.
  • Offered 5 days a week for 1 week, for 6 hours a day.

Skills taught in structured settings are reinforced during natural play and daily routines, helping learners apply what they’ve learned in meaningful, practical ways.

ABA Group Therapy

Our ABA group therapy sessions are designed for children and teens with autism who would benefit from consistent daily support. The focus is on:

  • Building communication, social and emotional regulation skills.
  • Offered 5 days per week for 1 month, 2.5 hours per day.

What Should You Consider When Choosing a Summer Camp?

There’s a lot of different things to consider when choosing what ABA summer camp might be the right fit. A good place to start is to consider these 3 things about your child:

  • Interests and likes (and maybe dislikes!): Passion-based camps (e.g., robotics, cooking, or field trips) can help ensure excitement and engagement with the activities.
  • Strengths and needs: Look for a program where your child will feel confident, supported, and appropriately challenged.
  • Goals and structure: Ensure that the goals of the summer camp program match your child’s developmental objectives to help build on progress and make sure their enjoying themselves.

“When a camp aligns with a child’s interests and developmental goals,
it becomes a truly empowering experience.”–Adrienne Greenspan, Registered Behaviour Analyst, Autism Behavioural Services

What Summer Camps are available at Surrey Place?

We offer five unique autism summer camps in Toronto, each designed to help learners grow in skills while having a blast! Each camp includes evidence-based strategies, structured routines, and plenty of opportunities for fun, connection, and growth.

  • Discovery Day Camp: Building communication and social skills through games, play, and interactive group activities in a supportive, inclusive environment.
  • Robotics & Coding: Strengthening planning, logic, and problem-solving by exploring Scratch coding and robotics—perfect for curious minds and tech-loving learners.
  • Kitchen Confidence: Fostering independence and hands-on life skills as children learn to follow recipes, prep meals, and take pride in participating in cooking routines.
  • Healthy Living: Promoting physical wellness and self-awareness through active play, nutrition-focused activities, and calming mindfulness practices.
  • City Explorers: Developing real-world independence with transit training, community outings, and navigation skills that build confidence and practical life experience.
Children enjoying autism summer camp in Toronto

Can Any Child Join a Surrey Place Summer Camp?

Each camp has specific prerequisites to ensure the best possible fit. These criteria help create a positive environment where each child can participate meaningfully and make progress. If you’re unsure which camp is right, our team is here to help! Connect with us and we can guide you on where to start.

3. Keep Therapy and Skill Development Going All Summer

Summer may bring a change in routine, but it shouldn’t mean a pause in progress. Maintaining consistent supports helps children retain the skills they’ve worked hard to build during the school year.

Many therapy goals can also be supported at home through everyday activities, like practicing language during imaginative play, building fine motor skills through crafts, or reinforcing routines during daily tasks. Therapy should complement your family’s summer, not complicate it.

“Therapy during the summer can be flexible and still highly effective. It’s about finding what fits your family.”–Adrienne Greenspan, Registered Behaviour Analyst, Autism Behavioural Services

At Surrey Place, we offer ABA therapy, speech and occupational therapy, and parent coaching throughout the summer, so your child can continue growing in ways that work with your schedule. We’re here to support steady progress, all year long.

4. Choose Meaningful, Everyday Activities

Every day activities can be great ways to help reinforce skills in fun and relaxed ways. Simple experiences like water play, nature walks, baking, library visits, or building LEGO creations can support learning naturally and enjoyably.

Aim to balance high-energy play with calm, quiet moments, and explore sensory-friendly events in your community. Keeping your child engaged in activities they enjoy not only makes summer more fun but also helps them to use the skills they’ve learned in real-life settings.

5. Prepare for Smooth Transitions

We know that even exciting changes like starting a new camp or taking a family trip can be overwhelming for children who rely on routine. The more prepared your child feels, the smoother these transitions will be. Some useful tools to help reduce stress for children can include:

  • Countdown calendar
  • Social stories
  • Visual guides
  • Role-play
  • Practice runs like visiting the camp building in advance.

Proactive planning can set your child up for success, especially during unfamiliar or stimulating events.

Remember, We’re Here to Help!

Summer should be a time of connection, confidence, and continued growth. Our camps, therapies, and family supports are designed to help your child grow their confidence and build on your child’s progress. Let’s make this a summer of meaningful growth and discovery.

Explore our 2025 Autism Summer Camps and secure your spot today!

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By 2 months

Has your baby had their hearing screened? YES NO

By 6 months

Does the child?

Startle in response to loud noises? YES NO
Turn to where a sound is coming from? YES NO
Make different cries for different needs (hungry, tired)? YES NO
Watch your face as you talk? YES NO
Smile/laugh in response to your smiles and laughs? YES NO
Imitate coughs or other sounds such as ah, eh, buh YES NO

By 9 months

Does the child?

Respond to their name? YES NO
Respond to the telephone ringing or a knock at the door? YES NO
Understand being told no? YES NO
Get what they want through using gestures (reaching to be picked up)? YES NO
Play social games with you (Peek-a-Boo)? YES NO
Enjoy being around people? YES NO
Babble and repeat sounds such as babababa or duhduhduh? YES NO

By 12 months

Does the child?

Follow simple one-step directions (sit down)? YES NO
Look across the room to a toy when adult points at it? YES NO
Consistently use three to five words? YES NO
Use gestures to communicate (waves hi/bye, shakes head for no)? YES NO
Get your attention using sounds, gestures and pointing while looking at your eyes? YES NO
Bring you toys to show you? YES NO
Perform for social attention and praise? YES NO
Combine lots of sounds together as though talking (abada baduh abee)? YES NO
Show an interest in simple picture books? YES NO

By 18 months

Does the child?

Understand the meaning of in and out, off and on? YES NO
Point to more than 2 body parts when asked? YES NO
Use at least 20 words consistently? YES NO
Respond with words or gestures to simple questions (Where's teddy? What's that?)? YES NO
Demonstrate some pretend play with toys (gives teddy bear a drink, pretends a bowl is a hat)? YES NO
Make at least four different consonant sounds (p ,b, m, n, d, g, w, h)? YES NO
Enjoy being read to and sharing simple books with you? YES NO
Point to pictures using one finger? YES NO

By 2 years

Does the child?

Follow two-step directions (Go find your teddy bear and show it to Grandma.)? YES NO
Use 100 to 150 words? YES NO
Use at least two pronouns (you, me, mine)? YES NO
Consistently combine two to four words in short phrases (Daddy hat. Truck go down.)? YES NO
Enjoy being around other children? YES NO
Begin to offer toys to other children and imitate other children's actions and words? YES NO
Use words that are understood by others 50 to 60 per cent of the time? YES NO
Form words or sounds easily and without effort? YES NO
Hold books the right way up and turn the pages? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 30 months

Does the child?

Understand the concepts of size (big/little) and quantity (a little/a lot, more)? YES NO
Use some adult grammar (two cookies, bird flying, I jumped)? YES NO
Use over 350 words? YES NO
Use action words such as run, spill, fall? YES NO
Participate in some turn-taking activities with peers, using both words and toys? YES NO
Demonstrate concern when another child is hurt or sad? YES NO
Combine several actions in play (puts blocks in the train and drives the train, drops the blocks off.)? YES NO
Put sounds at the beginning of most words? YES NO
Use words with two or more syllables or beats (ba-na-na, com-pu-ter, a-pple)? YES NO
Recognize familiar logos and signs involving print (Stop sign)? YES NO
Remember and understand familiar stories? YES NO

By 3 years

Does the child?

Understand who, what, where and why questions? YES NO
Create long sentences using five to eight words? YES NO
Talk about past events (trip to grandparents house, day at child care)? YES NO
Tell simple stories? YES NO
Show affection for favourite playmates? YES NO
Engage in multi-step pretend play (pretending to cook a meal, repair a car)? YES NO
Talk in a way that most people outside of the family understand what she/he is saying most of the time? YES NO
Have an understanding of the function of print (menus, lists, signs)? YES NO
Show interest in, and awareness of, rhyming words? YES NO
Read to stuffed animals or toys? YES NO
Scribble with crayons? YES NO

By 4 years

Does the child?

Follow directions involving three or more steps (First get some paper, then draw a picture and give it to Mommy)? YES NO
Use adult type grammar? YES NO
Tell stories with a beginning, middle and end? YES NO
Talk to try and solve problems with adults and with other children? YES NO
Show increasingly complex imaginary play? YES NO
Talk in a way that is understood by strangers almost all the time? YES NO
Generate simple rhymes (cat-bat)? YES NO
Match some letters with their sounds (letter b says buh, letter t says tuh)? YES NO