Development and Implementation of STEM Camps for Autistic Youth

Statistically speaking, autistic youth often exhibit a greater interest in STEM than neurotypical students, yet the percentage that earn a STEM college degree or work as a STEM professional is substantially lower than the neurotypical population due to societal barriers. We aim to break down these barriers through the creation of two STEM camps that stress hands-on, nature-based learning, namely The Sky’s The Limit STEM Camp at the Welty Environmental Center in Beloit, Wisconsin and Nature’s Navigators STEM Camp at Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center in the Wisconsin Dells. Many of the camp activities incorporate protocols from NASA’s Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) youth citizen science and environmental education program. In this presentation, the design, implementation, and lessons learned from the two camps will be discussed as we continue to build on our efforts to support neurodiversity.