Speech services camp hits 80-year anniversary

A Central Michigan University day camp that pairs children who need speech support with students who provide it is marking its 80th anniversary this July.

More than 80 children, most of whom are from Michigan and all between the ages of 3 and 13, are attending this year’s summer speech-language specialty clinics. The camp started June 30 and will run through the end of July.

On the last day, campers and their families will celebrate the camp's 80th anniversary.

Campers receive assistance for support needs ranging from improving fluency to eating and swallowing, said Amy Durkin, summer specialty clinics coordinator and master clinical educator with CMU’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Days are broken into two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, Durkin said.

Graduate students in CMU’s speech pathology program first conduct assessments on individual campers. Based on those assessments, students then develop an intense therapy program.

Parents also receive support through the program, Durkin said. Some of that support involves a child’s diagnosis, but the camp also helps families identify other needs, like access to healthy food and health care.

The camp has also helped parents pay for gas to drive to Mount Pleasant. While many campers live in mid-Michigan, others travel as far away as metro Detroit to attend the camp.

Beyond the therapy they receive, campers love the experience, Durkin said. One favorite day is Thrilling Thursdays, when campers dress up and join in a parade.

The summer speech-language specialty camp experience is popular with children who attend it, Durkin said. At least two of them reconnected years after attending the camp and started their own family.

Former campers, in fact, are some of the program’s biggest supporters, Durkin said. Other supporters include the Michigan Elks Association, which supports special needs children across Michigan.