Turks and Caicos Islands Adventure Camp

A group of 8 speech pathology grad students, 2 professors, and about 8 Therapy Abroad professionals were part of the team which traveled to the beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands. The Special Needs Unit of the Dept of Education hosted us very generously and we enjoyed the beaches and local food. We met families of children with communication difficulties, did evaluations, and ran a camp for three days. I had the privilege of working with four autistic boys between ages 3 and 6 as well as some overlap with other campers whose diagnoses varied. I loved seeing their comfort level change from day one (clinging to the parent's leg, teary-eyed) to day three (running in to the gym for a hug and leading me by the hand to our first activity). I think we could have been more effective if we had meetings with the campers' parents and completed informal evaluations of the kids before we launched into camp. This was the first time Therapy Abroad ran a camp like this in Turks and Caicos, so it served as a good starting place. It was also interesting to visit schools and observe members of our team strategizing with local special needs advocates to work on ways to improve access to services throughout the country. In our spare time, we enjoyed a truly unforgettable boat tour and I was introduced to a bright, colorful world under the ocean's surface as we snorkeled. We also enjoyed a fish fry in the community and visits to local restaurants. Overall, this experience was intensely difficult and intensely fun - very formative for me as a student clinician, a traveler, and a friend within my cohort.