Campamento Asperger/ Aspie Summer Camp

Desde el viernes 17 hasta el miércoles 22 de agosto he sido monitor del Segundo Campamento de Verano de la Asociación Asperger Asturias, que tuvo lugar en la Granja Escuela Ría del Eo, ubicada en el bellísimo concejo asturiano de Castropol. El equipo estaba formado por un psicólogo, 1 educadora, dos voluntarios (una chica neurotípica y yo) y dos monitoras de la Granja Escuela. A dicho campamento no sólo iban críos Asperger, si no también otros críos con diferentes trastornos dentro del Espectro Autista, así como neurotípicos amigos de los críos. Aunque fui bien tratado por los otros monitores, creo que en cierto sentido los tenía desconcertados... supongo que para algunos neurotípicos los Aspies siempre seremos bichos raros... Shame on them.

From the 17th to the 22nd of August I've been an instructor of the Asperger Syndrome Association of Asturies's Second Summer Camp, which took place in Ría del Eo Farm School, placed in the marvellous borough council of Castropol, western Asturies. The Teaching Crew consisted of one Psychologist, one Special Needs Educator and two Volunteers (a Neurotypical Girl and I), besides two women Instructors from the Farm School. The children who attended the Summer Camp were not exclusively Aspies, some of them having other disorders within the Autism spectrum, and there were also some Neurotypical friends of these Autistic Children who also attended that very same Summer Camp.

It was quite comforting to see children who actually have some serious problems in engaging in social relationships taking part along with their peers in workshop activities as well as in outdoor ones such as horse riding or feeding the animals. I also have to admit that it was quite striking for me to see how children with Severe Autism who rarely engage in any kind of social relation did in fact actively interact with cows, donkeys, horses, dogs and other animals.

Although the rest of the Teaching Crew was kind and correct to me, in some way I felt as if some of them were not too happy to have an Aspie within the Teaching Staff... I guess that some people are used to perceiving Aspies as some kind of mentally retarded inferior beings who desperately need of them, mighty Neurotypicals... Perhaps they realized that an Aspie could do just as fine as them, and they did not like it... If that were true, shame on them...