"Emphasis was laid upon the need for safety procedures for the school camp by the Consultant of Health and Safety Education of the Florida State Department of Education, Tallahassee, Florida, who suggested the topic for this study. Therefore, it is the purpose of this study to construct a resource unit on camping safety for elementary school teachers"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1950." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science under Plan II." / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-41).

The purpose of this study was to determine if a summer camp utilizing academic and behavioral remediation programming could increase the academic achievement of children with autism spectrum disorders. Academic achievement was measured using the Wide Range Achievement Test-Fourth Edition (WRAT4; Wilkinson & Robertson, 2006) and an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI; Burns & Roe, 2002) in a sample of 21 children ranging from 6 years, 0 months to 13 years, 1 month prior to and after attending a summer camp for children with autism around a Midwestern city. Repeated measures MANOVAs were used to analyze WRAT4 and IRI assessment results. MANOVA results indicated there were no significant changes on any of the tests of the WRAT4 over time after a Bonferroni correction. MANOVA results further indicated there was no interaction between gender and time. A nonparametric sign test also was conducted to examine changes in the WRAT4 tests. Results of the nonparametric sign test did not reveal significant changes in the WRAT4 tests; however, the Sentence Comprehension test did approach significance. Although participants did not make statistical gains on the WRAT4, they also did not demonstrate a decline in academic skills as measured by the WRAT4. Participants demonstrated less consistent results on the word lists of the IRI as well as the passage comprehension component of the IRI. The number of children who declined or improved on the IRI overtime appeared to be random. A qualitative analysis of four participants selected based on age and gender did not reveal any hypotheses for the differences in performance on the IRI over time. Suggestions for future research include replicating the study with a larger sample, children with multicultural backgrounds, and controlling for the cognitive abilities of the participants. / Department of Educational Psychology

The current study focused on whether an academic and behavioral remediation summer day camp increased the social skills of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The camp implemented applied behavior analysis (ABA) to address behavior interfering with developing social skills and to increase appropriate social skills. Currently, few studies document the effectiveness of improving social skills at a summer camp program for children with ASDs. This study utilized a pre-post analysis for all participants to compare changes in social skills, as measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS). The measures were completed by the mothers the week before the camp commenced and again during the last week of camp. Significant positive differences between pre- and post- camp response scores were found among social communication, social competence, and peer relations subscales. A significant negative difference was found on autistic mannerisms, antisocial behavior, and deviant/disruptive behavior subscales. This study suggests that an intensive summer camp program utilizing ABA can improve social skills in children with ASDs. / Department of Special Education

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in an academic and behavioral remediation summer camp impacts broad adaptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders. Adaptive behavior was measured by administering the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition (ABAS-II; Harrison & Oakland, 2002) to the parents of a sample of 23 children whose ages ranged from 5 years, 10 months to 11 years, 4 months. Adaptive behavior was assessed prior the beginning of camp and again during the last week of camp. Repeated measures ANOVA and repeated measures MANOVA were conducted to assess whether significant changes in adaptive behavior were observed. Results from these analyses indicated statistically significant changes in adaptive behavior were not observed, but the MANOVA indicated there was a significant interaction between time and gender. Although significant improvement in adaptive behavior was not observed, there also were no significant decreases in adaptive behavior. Additionally, clinical significance was assessed using reliable change indexes (RCI). These analyses suggested most children did not exhibit clinically significant changes in adaptive behavior. Results also were mixed with three children reportedly exhibiting clinically significant increases and two children reportedly exhibiting clinically significant decreases in adaptive behavior. Suggestions for future research include using a control or comparison group, obtaining larger sample size, using multiple measures of adaptive behavior, and obtaining observations of adaptive behavior from multiple sources. / Department of Special Education

This study explored the effectiveness of an eight-week summer day camp that used applied behavior analysis (ABA) to decrease maladaptive behaviors and increase prosocial behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorders. Little is known about how children with autism spectrum disorders respond to ABA treatment in the camp setting. Using a multiple case study approach, behaviors were measured using direct observation techniques in a sample of 5 children ranging from 7 years, 5 months to 9 years, 1 month. Results were assessed using visual inspection of graphs and assessing trendlines of the data. Results of the study indicated that all five participants demonstrated at least two behaviors that changed in the intended direction (i.e., target behaviors decreased, replacement behaviors increased). Overall, for all five participants, 68% of behaviors changed in the intended direction. Among the behaviors that changed in the intended direction, 65% demonstrated a moderate rate of change within the eight weeks of camp. A number of possible explanations for these results, as well as for unfavorable findings, are discussed. Because this study was considered a preliminary investigation, these positive results support the need for future studies to further examine this relatively unexplored setting through replication. / Department of Educational Psychology

This project offers a nature program that can be implemented into youth camp programs. Outdoor Residential Camp programs offered by youth organizations provide an outdoor camp experience for many children in the communty. Many offer participants resident summer camp programs which is a perfect venue for the outdoor experience. Children exposed to outdoor experiences develop a greater sense of responsibility to the natural environment around them. The schools are not doing enough to educate youth about the natural environment. This project was written specifically for the Azalea Trails Girl Scout Camp located in the San Jacinto Mountains of Southern California however, it could be adapted to be used at any residental camp setting.

This project was designed to help instructors at Camp Highland Outdoor Science School in Cherry Valley, California. The camp is drsinged for fifth and sixth grade students. The manual would be a useful tool for instructors to reference information to assist in lession planning and activities. It would familiarize them with the local natual history in the area including geology, climate, plants and Native Americans.