Camp RAD: Nutrition and Life Skills for Adolescents with Disabilities

Intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) among children and adults are accompanied by serious health, nutrition, educational, and socioeconomic implications and individuals with IDD continue to have unmet health and personal care needs. This session will share information with participants about Camp RAD (Recreation for Adolescents with Disabilities), a 4-week summer camp intervention focusing on physical activity, food preparation skills and nutrition education, and other life skills for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants will learn about how disabilities – autism, cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, and others – impact these youth. Participants will learn about the development process (program, funding, logistics, safety, etc.) and current educational components of the camp. Participants will also learn about challenges, successes, evaluation, and outcomes of the camp.

CPE Level: Level 1
CPEU: 1.0

Performance Indicators

• 12.3.2 Applies community-based and population-based models and theories in the development of programs and/or interventions.
• 9.3.2 Develops and/or selects a variety of learning activities based on a plan of action and outcomes, and the needs of the individual, group, community and population.
• 8.4.2 Develops and/or modifies recipes, menus and meals using sensory perceptions and other food components.

Learning Objectives

• Identify physical activity and food & nutrition issues common among adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)
• Describe educational components of a successful life skills summer camp for adolescents with IDD
• Assess challenges and successes of a camp-based food preparation skills and nutrition education intervention for adolescents with IDD

Speakers

• Becky Larson
• Gavin Colquitt